ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Muslim countries unequivocally condemned Israel’s continued illegal settlement policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and categorically rejected the “E1” settlement plan and related settlement activities east of occupied East Jerusalem, the Foreign Office said.
The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Türkiye, Indonesia, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reiterated their condemnation of the violations and acts of violence perpetrated by settlers, with the support of the Israeli occupying authorities, against the Palestinian people and their property.
The statement stressed that such acts in no way "diminished the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people" and constituted violations of "international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, while posing a serious threat to regional and international peace and security."
The ministers warned that the “E1” settlement plan constituted a “dangerous escalation” that further advanced settlement expansions and annexations and undermined the geographical contiguity of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“Such actions constitute a direct challenge to international efforts aimed at achieving peace, foremost among them President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Plan, including its unequivocal rejection of annexation and forced displacement,” the statement added.
The Ministers emphasized that the two-State solution, in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, remained the “only viable path” towards a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace.
They FO added that the actions aimed at undermining this solution risked further escalating tensions, threatening regional and international peace and security, and jeopardizing prospects for lasting peace and stability in the region.
.jpg)
The Muslim countries reaffirmed support for all efforts aimed at ensuring accountability, including through appropriate international measures and sanctions against entities and individuals responsible for illegal settlement activities, as well as those supporting, facilitating or implementing policies of settlement expansion and annexation.
The statement further called for "an end to any support or financing that contributes to the establishment, expansion or entrenchment of illegal settlements."
The foreign ministers stressed that a lack of accountability would contribute to the continuation of violations and further underminung of prospects for a just and comprehensive peace.
The ministers called upon the United Nations Security Council, all States and relevant international actors to "uphold their responsibilities under international law and take urgent and effective measures to halt illegal settlement expansion, and to ensure the protection of the Palestinian people," the statement concluded.