Pakistan’s foreign minister calls for attention to West Bank settlements — Dawn
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, speaking at a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Committee of Six on Palestine in New York, United States, called for urgent international attention to violence by Israeli settlers, annexation policies in the occupied West Bank, and violations of the ceasefire regime in Gaza. He described these actions as “flagrant violations of international law,” Dawn reports.
Dar said the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory — both in Gaza and the West Bank — requires immediate attention. According to him, the humanitarian situation remains dire, the security environment is “extremely fragile,” and the ceasefire in Gaza is being violated “almost daily.”
The Pakistani official noted the mediation efforts of the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Türkiye to implement a comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza, backed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803.
Calls for OIC action
Dar said that the expansion of Israeli settlements, settler violence, annexation policies, and other violations in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, threaten the territorial integrity and continuity of the occupied Palestinian territory. According to him, this also undermines the viability of a future Palestinian state.
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He called on committee members to protect the historic and legal status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Al-Haram al-Sharif compound, and other Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. Among the proposed steps are rejecting illegal settlement expansion, annexation, settler violence, and forced displacement in the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as supporting accountability for violations of international law and international humanitarian law.
The future of Gaza and Palestine
Pakistan’s foreign minister said that reconstruction and governance mechanisms in Gaza must remain under Palestinian leadership, with the Palestinian Authority playing a central role. He also advocated for an irreversible and time-bound political process to establish an independent, sovereign, and territorially contiguous Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, as well as for Palestine’s full membership in the UN.
Dar’s statements came amid the expansion of Israeli settlements and a growing number of settler attacks in the West Bank. According to the UN, more than 1,600 incidents were recorded in 275 communities from January to September 14, resulting in Palestinian casualties or damage to their property. In the context of settler violence and related access restrictions, more than 2,600 Palestinians were displaced.
