The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday adopted a resolution calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied Palestinian territory, with Pakistan, which voted in favour of the text, reiterating that Palestinians must be allowed to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.
The resolution, titled âPeaceful settlement of the question of Palestineâ, was adopted with 151 countries voting in favour, 11 voting against and 11 abstaining, according to the summary posted by the UN.
According to the summary, the UNGA, through the resolution, âstressed the need for urgent, collective efforts to launch credible negotiations on all final status issues in the Middle East peace process and called for the timely convening of an international conference in Moscow as envisioned by Security Council resolution 1850 (2008) to advance a just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlementâ.
âThe Assembly also called on both parties to act responsibly, urgently reverse negative trends and create the conditions necessary for a credible political horizon and the advancement of peace efforts,â it said.
It also called on Israel to âcomply strictly with its international law obligations, including by ending its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, ceasing all new settlement activities and evacuating all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territoryâ.
Addressing Israelâs presence in the West Bank, the UNGA ârejected any attempt at demographic or territorial change in Gaza and stressed the importance of unifying the strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority without delayâ.
âAdditionally, the Assembly called for Israelâs withdrawal from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, the realisation of the Palestinian peopleâs inalienable rights primarily the right to self-determination â and a just resolution of the problem of Palestinian refugees,â it said.
World must turn promises into action, says Pakistanâs UN envoy
Speaking during the UNGA debate, Pakistanâs Permanent Representative to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said, âTodayâs resolution is more than a statement of principle. It is a reminder that the world must now turn promises into action.â
Calling for the realisation of an independent Palestinian state, Ambassador Iftikhar said, âPakistanâs solidarity with the Palestinian people is steadfast, and we stand with them in their legitimate struggle for dignity, justice and self-determination.â
He further said that voting in favour of the resolution reflected Pakistanâs âlong-standing and principled position on this matterâ.
The UN envoy further said that the momentum generated at Sharm El-Sheikh, where the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was signed, must be sustained, particularly by advancing Palestinian-led governance, reconstruction and institution building, emphasising the role of the Palestinian Authority as âcentralâ.
âPeace cannot be shaped without the direct involvement and ownership of the Palestinian people,â he stressed.
He further said that the Gaza ceasefire must be âimplemented fully, with no unilateral actions or military activityâ, calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
He added that full humanitarian access should also be guaranteed to the Palestinian enclave.
âWith winter approaching and large parts of Gaza destroyed, the population needs sustained life-saving assistance.
âAny obstruction of aid violates international humanitarian law and must not be allowed under any pretext,â he said, adding that reconstruction of the ravaged Gaza Strip should begin without delay.
He said that there must be no annexation, no forced displacement, and no division of occupied lands, adding that Gazaâs territorial integrity and its contiguity with the West Bank were fundamental to a viable, sovereign and independent Palestinian state.
He further said that all settlement activity should stop.
âEfforts to change the demographic or legal character of the occupied territories, including around Al-Haram Al-Sharif, are illegal and must end,â he said.
He added that in order to âbreak the cycle of violenceâ, it was necessary to end the Israeli occupation of all Arab territories, including in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.
âThe imperative of a political horizon a credible, time-bound political process anchored in relevant UN resolutions, leading to a sovereign, independent and contiguous State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,â he said.
