Pakistan has called on the international community to intervene over what it described as Israel’s systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, expansion of settlements, and forced displacement of Palestinians. The remarks were made by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, during an Arria-formula meeting at the United Nations focused on the situation in occupied Palestinian territories.
Read More: Pakistan condemns Israel’s West Bank actions
Addressing the forum, Ambassador Ahmad warned that while global attention remains fixed on multiple regional crises, developments in the West Bank continue to intensify with limited international scrutiny. He said Israeli legislative and administrative measures were transforming what he termed de facto annexation into formal control over occupied land.
Statement by Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad,
Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN,
At the Arria Formula Meeting on the Situation in West Bank including East Jerusalem
(8 May 2026)
****
We thank the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Greece, and Latvia for convening this… pic.twitter.com/hFWPzyOjqC— Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanUN_NY) May 8, 2026
Pakistan condemned continued settlement expansion, demolitions, land confiscations, and what it described as efforts to permanently alter facts on the ground. The envoy highlighted concerns over new settlement approvals and projects that could further fragment Palestinian territories and undermine prospects for a geographically contiguous state.
He also pointed to rising settler violence, citing United Nations data indicating that 2025 recorded the highest number of settler-related attacks against Palestinians since systematic documentation began in 2006. Pakistan called for all settlement activity and violence to cease in accordance with international law and relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
Ambassador Ahmad additionally raised concerns over the worsening humanitarian and economic conditions in Palestinian territories, saying Israel’s continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues had deepened fiscal instability and weakened the Palestinian Authority’s ability to deliver essential services.
Pakistan reiterated its longstanding support for a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem, referred to as Al-Quds Al-Sharif, as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
Read More: At UN, Dar seeks immediate reversal of Israel’s West Bank actions
The envoy stressed that countries with influence over Israel should ensure compliance with international obligations and accountability under international law. Pakistan maintained that a just and lasting peace in the Middle East depends on ending occupation and enabling Palestinian self-determination through a sovereign and viable state. The statement reflects Pakistan’s continued diplomatic support for Palestinian statehood at multilateral forums.