United Nations (TDI): Pakistan has urged the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to ensure the full implementation of the Gaza ceasefire and the UN-endorsed peace framework, warning that delays could seriously undermine prospects for a just and lasting peace and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
Speaking during the UNSC’s open debate on the Middle East, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said the international community must act urgently to preserve the opportunity created by the Gaza ceasefire and the comprehensive peace plan endorsed under UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
“It is imperative to uphold the commitments reflected in the peace plan and Security Council Resolution 2803,” Ahmad said, warning that failure to implement the agreement would “irreparably undermine the prospects for a just and lasting peace.”
The ambassador described the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as dire, noting that despite some improvements following the ceasefire, 59 percent of Gaza’s population continues to face crisis-level food insecurity, while more than 1,100 Palestinians have reportedly been killed since the ceasefire began.
Read More: Pakistan, 9 Other Countries Denounce Israel Over Gaza Flotilla Seizure
He added that nearly two million people remain confined to just 30 percent of Gaza’s territory, where they continue to endure catastrophic humanitarian conditions.
Expressing concern over developments in the occupied West Bank, Ahmad said continued Israeli settlement expansion, new settlement outposts and rising settler violence were altering the demographic and geographic character of the occupied territory.
He also voiced concern over the proposed “Crimson Thread” project, describing it as a 500-kilometre network of walls and military roads that would isolate Palestinian communities, separate the Jordan Valley from the rest of the West Bank and undermine the territorial continuity of a future Palestinian state.
The Pakistani envoy also condemned escalating Israeli actions at Al Aqsa Mosque, saying Pakistan had joined other members of the Group of Eight (G8) Arab and Islamic countries in denouncing continued settler incursions into the holy site.
Read More: Trump Secures Troops for Gaza Force, Pakistan Yet to Decide
Outlining Pakistan’s priorities before the Security Council, Ahmad called for the full implementation of the Gaza peace plan, an immediate halt to Israeli settlement activities, international protection for the Palestinian people, accountability for crimes against civilians, and the unconditional release of withheld Palestinian revenues to enable the Palestinian Authority to continue providing essential public services.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s longstanding position, he said the only viable solution remained the establishment of an independent, sovereign, contiguous and viable State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Beyond Palestine, Ahmad expressed concern over broader regional tensions, urging all parties to exercise restraint, respect sovereignty and territorial integrity, and honour commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
He also reiterated Pakistan’s support for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in Lebanon, respect for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a Yemeni-led political process to restore peace in Yemen.
The ambassador condemned attacks against Saudi Arabia and commercial shipping, warning that such incidents threaten regional stability and global trade. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia.
Concluding his remarks, Ahmad said lasting peace in the Middle East would remain unattainable as long as occupation continued and the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination remained unfulfilled, reaffirming Pakistan’s continued support for all genuine efforts aimed at achieving a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.
