ISLAMABAD, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday reaffirming Pakistan\u2019s abiding support for the Palestinian people, called for immediate protection of Palestinians against Israeli aggression, implementation of United Nations resolutions, and an accountability of Israel\u2019s crimes against humanity. <\/p>\n
Addressing the virtual open-ended emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) executive committee to discuss Israel\u2019s aggression against Palestine, the foreign minister stressed that all necessary steps must be taken for stopping the ongoing aggression against the Palestinian people and their properties. <\/p>\n
He said the international community must protect the Palestinians against the blatant and illegal use of force and flagrant violations of human rights. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt should urgently intervene and take concerted actions to stop Israeli atrocities against civilian population in Gaza. The bombardment in Gaza must be stopped immediately,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Foreign minister Qureshi also underlined that implementing forthwith resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council, UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council was both critical and urgent. <\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s crimes against humanity should not escape accountability, he said, adding, there should be no impunity for Israel\u2019s violation of international law, including the Fourth Geneva and the other various human rights Conventions. <\/p>\n
\u201cAttempts to create a false equivalence between Israel, the aggressor, and Palestinians, the victims, are inexcusable and as the collective voice of the Muslim Ummah the OIC should work in unity to dispel this deliberately deceptive perception,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Attempts to silence media and reporting, through tyranny, the foreign minister said, was evident from Israel\u2019s horrifying air strike yesterday, bringing down a high rise building in Gaza that housed media outlets was unacceptable. <\/p>\n
The foreign minister said Pakistan, was appalled by the sheer magnitude of illegal, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force, tyranny and injustice being perpetrated by the Israeli occupation forces against defenseless Palestinians. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere are no words strong enough to condemn the systematic and barbaric crimes against the Palestinians. The deteriorating conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories due to the illegal practices of Israel, its colonial policies, and its continued aggression, siege and collective punishment, are sickening,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Qureshi said the indiscriminate use of force by Israeli forces against defenseless Palestinians was tantamount to grave violations of principles underpinned in international law, including international humanitarian and human rights law. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe latest spate of Israeli aggression cannot be justified or condoned,\u201d he stressed. <\/p>\n
At this somber juncture, the foreign minister said Pakistan reaffirmed its unflinching solidarity with the government and people of Palestine \u2013 valiantly defending their legitimate rights. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe salute their courage in the face of unabated Israeli atrocities and preserving their Arab and Islamic identity,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
Foreign minister Qureshi further said that Pakistan condemned in the strongest possible terms the continuing air strikes by Israel in Gaza that had resulted in deaths and injuries to so many innocent Palestinians. <\/p>\n
Pakistan also condemned, in the strongest possible terms, he said, attacks on innocent worshippers in Al-Aqsa Mosque, violating the very sanctity of Qibla-e-Awal. <\/p>\n
\u201cDeath and destruction in the holy month of Ramzan; during Eid-ul-Fitr is unacceptable. Endless, senseless violence must end,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The foreign minister said the respect for sanctity of religious places was well-established in international law. <\/p>\n
In this regard, Pakistan played a key role during its non-permanent term in the Security Council in 1968-69. In addition to adopting Pakistan-initiated resolutions 252 and 267, the Security Council also adopted resolution 271 (5 September 1969), also initiated by Pakistan, following the burning of Al-Aqsa Mosque on 5 August 1969. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe are also gravely concerned at the continuing expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and expulsion of Palestinians from their properties,\u201d he maintained. <\/p>\n
The foreign minister said the tragedy of forced evictions of Palestinians from the Shaikh Jarrah neighborhood of Al-Quds Al-Shareef was the latest manifestation of the systematic Israeli effort to change the demographic structure; historical and legal status; and Arab-Islamic and Christian character of Al-Quds Al-Shareef. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is patently illegal, immoral and unacceptable,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
The foreign minister said the OIC owed its genesis to the Palestinian issue. In this hour of need, the Muslim Ummah must exhibit strong solidarity and support for their Palestinian brothers and sisters. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn the absence of such a solution, any notion of human dignity would remain tainted, regional peace elusive, and international security imperiled. We must not fail the Palestinian people at this critical juncture,\u201d he stressed. <\/p>\n
As a member of the Executive Committee and the next Chair of the Council of Foreign Ministers, Pakistan remained ready to join hands with other OIC Member States in any move to stop the ongoing bloodshed, and restore human dignity and human rights of the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cLet me conclude by reaffirming Pakistan\u2019s abiding support for the Palestinian people in their just struggle to secure legitimate rights, particularly their inalienable right to self-determination. I also reiterate Pakistan\u2019s support for a two-state solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions, with the pre-1967 borders, and Al-Quds Al-Shareef as the capital of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State,\u201d Foreign minister Qureshi said. <\/p>\n
The foreign minister also thanked Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud for calling this important session of the OIC Executive Committee and OIC Secretary General and his team for making the necessary arrangements for the emergency session. <\/p>\n
He said this timely interaction would help them in developing a strong and unified response to the Israeli aggression in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially Al-Quds Al-Shareef and Gaza. <\/p>\n
Support for the Palestinian cause has been a defining principle of Pakistan\u2019s foreign policy since our inception, he said, adding the founding father, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, was unrelenting in upholding the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. <\/p>\n
In the wake of the deteriorating conditions for the people of Palestine, Prime Minister Imran Khan had spoken with the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan, and the President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas, he added. <\/p>\n
He said that he had also been in touch with my key regional counterparts, including brother Riyad Al-Maliki. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Sunday reaffirming Pakistan\u2019s abiding support for the Palestinian people, called for immediate protection of Palestinians against Israeli aggression, implementation of United Nations resolutions, and an accountability of Israel\u2019s crimes against humanity. Addressing the virtual open-ended emergency meeting […]<\/p>\n
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