UNSC no longer in position to dodge Palestine issue: FM Qureshi

Both Kashmiris and Palestinians had been demanding their right to self-determination, adds the foreign minister

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Tuesday that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) was no longer in a position to dodge the Palestine issue and would have to take a decision over it.

The foreign minister's remarks came during an interview with a Turkish TV channel during which he said that the people who had been silent and had been sitting on the fence were jolted to react after witnessing the grim situation in Palestine.

"Such reaction resulted in an unprecedented emergency session of the UN General Assembly over the Palestine situation," he added.

Drawing similarities between the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Palestine, the foreign minister said both Kashmiris and Palestinians had been demanding their right to self-determination.

"Both are witnessing threats of ethnic cleansing," FM Qureshi said.

Regarding the Afghan peace process, the foreign minister said that Pakistan and Turkey wanted to see the peace process move forward.

Read more: Israel losing out, tide is turning: FM Qureshi

On May 21, an Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas began, but Hamas warned it still had its “hands-on the trigger” and demanded Israel end the violence in Jerusalem and address the damages in Gaza Strip after the worst fighting in years.

Foreign Minister Qureshi said the country welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel.

“This is the power of collective, unified action; this is the effort of every person and every nation, together for a just cause,” the FM said in a Tweet on Friday.

May this ceasefire be the 1st step towards peace in Palestine, he added.

Earlier in an interview to CNN, the FM said that Israel was "losing out" and the "tide was turning" amid mounting pressure of public opinion.

“I am convinced, the tide is turning. I am convinced the public pressure, the pressure of public opinion is mounting and the ceasefire is inevitable. Israel is losing out. They are losing the media war despite their connections,” the foreign minister said.