Pakistan Urges UN Action Over West Bank Settlement Expansion

(MENAFN) Pakistan has cautioned the United Nations Security Council that the ongoing growth of Israeli settlements and steps toward annexation in the occupied West Bank are eroding any remaining possibility of establishing a sustainable Palestinian state. It called on “influential” countries to ensure Israel is held responsible for its actions.

During a Council session focused on the West Bank, which was called by the United Kingdom, France, and several other members, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad strongly criticized Israel’s moves to convert “de facto annexation into de jure control” through a series of new legal and administrative initiatives.

"The systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, expansion of illegal settlements, demolitions, land seizures, and forced displacement of Palestinians continue unabated, and this requires our attention," he said. "Israeli policies and illegal actions, unprecedented in scale and impact, are undermining the prospects for a viable Palestinian state."

Ahmad further stated that Israel’s recent measures, such as mechanisms for land confiscation and the widening authority over settlements, are in breach of international law as well as the Fourth Geneva Convention, urging that these policies be immediately rolled back.

He also noted that settlement activity has surged significantly in recent years, pointing out that Israel has authorized 102 new settlements over the past four years.

In addition, the ambassador condemned the disputed E-1 settlement project located near East Jerusalem, warning that it would effectively prevent the formation of a territorially continuous Palestinian state.

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