Pakistan denounces Israel’s settlement expansion in West Bank
This photograph taken on January 15, 2024 from Rafah shows smoke billowing over Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment. PHOTO: AFP
Pakistan has strongly condemned Israel's latest move to convert areas of the Occupied West Bank into state property and expand illegal settlement activities, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"Such steps are in clear violation of international law as well as relevant United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, and must be rejected by the international community," it stated.
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Pakistan Rejects Israel’s Illegal Measures in the Occupied West Bank
🔗⬇️https://t.co/I698jm0MIH pic.twitter.com/tweFgLMWMbThe Foreign Office reiterated that Israel's actions undermine efforts for a just and lasting peace in the region. "Pakistan calls on the international community to take concrete measures to end Israeli impunity, and ensure respect for international law," it added.
The statement reaffirmed support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, emphasising the need for an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem (Al-Quds Al-Sharif) as its capital.
Board of Peace
Pakistan's decision to commit troops to Gaza as part of the "Board of Peace" remains unknown, as officials have neither confirmed nor denied potential participation.
The Board is set to have its first meeting on February 19 in Washington DC, and Trump is expected to present a multi-billion-dollar reconstruction blueprint for Gaza and outline the structure and mandate of the stabilisation force.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is slated to attend the summit, though Pakistani officials have remained tight-lipped on whether troop deployment is on the table.
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With Israel joining the "Board of Peace," many rights experts say that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory's affairs resembled a colonial structure. Israel's presence on the board is expected to bring further criticism as the board does not include a Palestinian.
A group of Muslim countries, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Egypt and Qatar, issued a joint warning on February 10 to Israel over what they described as accelerating efforts to illegally annex the occupied West Bank.
The "Board of Peace" is a transitional governing administration established to oversee Gaza and implement the "Comprehensive Plan" intended to end the conflict in the region. Chaired by Donald Trump for life, the organisation holds centralised transitional legislative, executive, and judicial authority, with the mandate of ensuring Gaza becomes a "deradicalised and demilitarised zone" that "poses no threat to its neighbours".