Amir Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has categorically rejected the proposed two-state solution for Palestine, declaring that “there is only one state and that is Palestine.”
Addressing participants at a Gaza Solidarity March in Karachi, Hafiz Naeem said that Israel was imposed through illegitimate means, warning that anyone who even considers recognizing Israel “will face strong public backlash.”
“If anyone dares to recognize Israel, the people will not spare them,” he said. “We will block the path of anyone who recognizes the Zionist state.”
The JI chief accused the United States of hypocrisy, saying that it “labels Hamas as a terrorist organization while supplying weapons and power to Israel.” He added that under U.S. hegemony, the United Nations has failed to resolve global conflicts and that “the world now needs a new United Nations.”
Hafiz Naeem recalled that in the 1940s, two major resolutions were passed – one in favor of Pakistan and the other in favor of Palestine. “Hamas does not talk about a two-state solution. It engages in dialogue but does not recognize Israel. If you don’t know diplomacy, learn it from Hamas,” he said.
He further argued that under the UN Charter, people under occupation have the right to take up arms.
“According to the UN Charter, if a land is occupied, its people can resist with weapons. Hamas is acting in accordance with that very charter.”
Condemning the ongoing violence in Gaza, Hafiz Naeem said, “The people of Gaza are enduring brutal oppression yet remain steadfast. Despite relentless bombings, Palestinians are standing firm and continue their resistance with courage and faith.”
He said Hamas are the true representatives of the Palestinian people and that public opinion on Gaza is shifting amid the ongoing genocide.
“The resistance of Gaza’s people has shifted global public opinion. Masses worldwide are rising against US and Israel-aligned rulers,” he wrote in a post on his X account.
In his speech, he added that a Hamas office should be opened in Pakistan and that they had taken up arms according to the UN Charter.
“The ruling class is afraid of every movement that has the power of the people,” Rehman said. “The Palestinian people are making sacrifices, but the Muslim rulers are enslaved by America.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a telephonic conversation with Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, during which the two leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East, with a particular focus on the urgent need for a ceasefire in Palestine, a Prime Minister’s Office news release said.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the government’s active role in ensuring the safe return of Pakistani nationals detained by Israel after their participation in the Global Sumud Flotilla, including former Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan.
PM Sharif informed that Islamabad remained in close contact with friendly nations and international organizations to secure the early release and repatriation of its citizens.