Daily Times

Pakistan Tuesday reaffirmed its solidarity with the suffering Palestinian people at a special emergency session of the UN General Assembly which is considering a draft resolution demanding an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory within 12 months and calling for an arms embargo against that country.

Speaking in the 193-member Assembly, Ambassador Munir Akram emphasized that the reason for this emergency session was to “translate into action”, the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July.

“The ICJ’s conclusions emphasize that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza, and its attempts to prolong the occupation and its security policies, violate two basic principles of International law – the right of peoples to self-determination, and the principle of non-acquisition of territory by the use of force,” the Pakistani envoy said.

He said ICJ’s opinion “marks a milestone of justice, an expression of equity and a flame of hope.” Pakistan has co-sponsored the draft resolution presented by Palestine, which seeks to implement the conclusions of the ICJ. An overwhelming number of member states voiced overwhelming support for the text.

The Assembly is expected to take action on the draft on Wednesday. Israel has rejected the text outright.

By the resolution’s terms, the Assembly would demand that Israel end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory no later than 12 months from the adoption of the resolution and cease immediately all new settlement activity, and evacuate all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Further, the Assembly would demand Israel return land seized since its occupation started in 1967 and allow Palestinians displaced to return to their homes.

The text would also have the Assembly demand that Israel comply without delay with all its legal obligations under international law, including as stipulated by the International Court of Justice. It would call on States not to recognize as legal the unlawful presence of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and prevent trade or investment relations that assist in the maintenance of the illegal situation created by Israel.

In his remarks, Ambassador Akram said, “The ICJ advisory opinion and the adoption of the resolution will be one decisive step toward ending the suffering of the Palestinian people.

“InshaaAllah, Palestine will soon be free.”

The Pakistani envoy noted that the “tragic history” of Palestine and its people was caused by a series of legal and political decisions “imposed by colonial and imperial powers”, including the partition of Palestine – despite the opposition of Arab and Islamic nations.

Pakistan’s founding leader, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, warned in 1948 that Israel’s creation would have grave consequences and now “history is witness to these consequences,” he said.

“A brutal occupation which has lasted 50 years, the steady acquisition of Palestinian lands, properties and homes to accommodate illegal and aggressive Jewish settlers. The imposition of a segregated apartheid rule in occupied Palestine.”

Ambassador Akram said the adoption of the resolution will require a re-evaluation of the position of member states and the UN, especially the Security Council, with regard to Palestine.

It should reinvigorate the international community’s efforts to oblige Israel to halt its genocidal military campaign in Gaza and its operations in the West Bank and to withdraw its forces forthwith from there.

Also, those States, which are continuing to provide military and material support to Israel, must halt this in accordance with their obligation not to help in perpetuating Israeli occupation. Further, The world community must take concrete steps to enable the Palestinians to exercise their right to self-determination. “One important step is to admit the State of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations; another would be to convene the international conference on Palestine to advance the two-state solution.”

Pakistan, he said, will actively promote the realization of the objectives and decisions arising from the ICJ’s Advisory Opinion and the adoption of the draft resolution.

At the outset of the meeting, the President of the General Assembly, Philemon Yang of Cameroon, said: “Without justice and the rule of law, Israelis and Palestinians alike will not attain what they long for most: peace and security.”

The Assembly must “not lose sight of the many lives lost, the staggering humanitarian challenges and infrastructural destruction that continue to take place, particularly in Gaza in the past several months,” he said.

Palestine’s Ambassador Riyad Mansour said that there is no excuse for ignoring the existential threat the Palestinian people are facing.

The ICJ has fulfilled its mandate by unequivocally identifying the legal consequences for Israel, he said.