ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, will visit New York on Wednesday to participate in a high-level United Nations Security Council (UNSC) briefing on the situation in Palestine, the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
The development comes days after Israel’s move to approve land registration in the West Bank for the first time since 1967, which is likely to make it easier for Jewish settlers to buy land and ultimately annex the area, as well as Israeli ceasefire violations in Gaza.
Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Egypt and Türkiye have condemned the Israeli move, saying it was meant to accelerate illegal settlement activity, land confiscation and applying unlawful Israeli sovereignty over Palestinian territory.
Dar will reaffirm Pakistan’s principled and consistent position on Palestine during the UNSC briefing, which will be presided over by United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper in her capacity as president of the Security Council.
“He (Dar) will reiterate Pakistan’s strong opposition of Israel’s recent illegal decisions to expand its control over the West Bank, emphasize the need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, full implementation of Security Council resolution 2803, scaled-up humanitarian assistance, and the early commencement of Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction,” the Pakistan foreign office said on Tuesday.
