Daily Times

Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Thursday put up a strong case at the United Nations General Assembly for Palestinians urging the world to move the Security Council to arrange an immediate cessation of Israeli attacks on Gaza.

At the 67th plenary meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr Qureshi spoke about Israeli atrocities against Palestinians.

“There are times in history when decisions of nations are remembered by posterity. This is one such moment,” Qureshi said, as he began his address.

The foreign minister said it was “appalling” that the UN Security Council had been “unable to exercise its primary responsibility” of maintaining international peace and security, adding that it had “failed to demand even a cessation of hostilities”.

He said what we do today or cannot do will be recorded in history.

“Driven by arrogance and emboldened by impunity, Israel has mounted a relentless onslaught on the occupied and beleaguered people of Palestine,” he said.

According to Geo News, Mr Qureshi said more than 250 Palestinians had been killed and thousands injured — one-thirds of which are women and children – in the ongoing Israeli attacks.

“Death echoes in every home in Gaza,” Qureshi said, to lay stress on the gravity of the situation. He also recalled one such tragedy, in which all ten members of the Abu Hattab family had perished in Israeli strikes.

“Hundreds of such tragedies are being enacted every hour in Gaza and other parts of the Palestinian territories. So far over 50,000 Palestinians have fled their homes in Gaza,” he said, adding that these people have very poor and limited access to water, food, hygiene and health services.

The foreign minister said hospitals and sanitation services rely on electricity but fuel for power plants “has almost run out”.

“Gaza has plunged in darkness […] the only light is that of Israeli explosions,” he said.

Qureshi said such is the existence of Palestine, where “in full view of the world Israeli airstrikes bring down entire buildings to kill and terrorize innocent Palestinians and even silence the media”.

“It is time to say enough. The voice of the Palestinian people cannot and will not be silenced,” he said.

The foreign minister said the representatives of the Islamic world are there to speak with and for Palestine.

“Our first priority must be to halt the Israeli aggression. I hope that even at this eleventh hour, the Security Council will call for a cessation of Israeli attacks. If it fails to do so, the General Assembly must make this demand on behalf of the entire international community,” he said.

He said there is no moral or military equivalence between the two sides. Whereas Palestinians have no army, navy or airforce, “the Israeli war machine is one of the most powerful in the world”.

“This is a war between a military occupier and an occupied people. It is a conflict between illegal occupation and a legitimate struggle for self-determination,” he said.

Qureshi then drew attention to the General Assembly resolution 2647 of November 1970, which speaks of the right to self-determination.

He then urged for the need to mobilize all possible humanitarian help for the devastated Palestinian population in Gaza and other parts of the occupied territories, including medical teams, medicines, and other supplies, food, and other necessities.

The foreign minister said Pakistan welcomes Egypt opening access to Gaza and Israel should also open all access points to ensure the timely and urgent delivery of international assistance.

On the other hand, Israeli airstrikes continued to hammer Gaza, and as diplomats stepped up efforts towards a ceasefire to stem the devastating violence that erupted 10 days ago.

Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed 230 Palestinians, including 65 children, according to the Gaza health ministry, leaving vast areas in rubble and displacing tens of thousands in the crowded territory.

Israel’s army has meanwhile said Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza have fired 4,070 rockets towards Israel, the overwhelming majority of them intercepted by its Iron Dome air defenses.

The rockets have claimed 12 lives in Israel, including one child, with one Indian and two Thai nationals among those killed, the police said.