ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will outline its stance on Israel’s recent move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank at an upcoming ministerial meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), according to Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi on Thursday.
Speaking at a weekly press briefing, Andrabi said that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will represent Pakistan at the OIC's Open-Ended Extraordinary Ministerial Session, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 26-28.
The meeting “has been convened to consider the illegal decision by the Israeli occupation authorities aimed at expanding settlements, pursuing annexation, and attempting to impose Israel's sovereignty over the occupied West Bank,” the spokesperson said. Dar will present Pakistan’s case during the session.
In a Facebook post, the Foreign Office said Dar will “hold sideline meetings with counterparts from OIC” member states.
Andrabi said Israel’s measures in the occupied West Bank have drawn condemnation from the OIC and other Muslim states, as well as “European and other world countries,” including Brazil, France, Denmark, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
“In this statement, we described these changes as wide-ranging and amounting to reclassifying Palestinian land as so-called Israel state land, accelerating illegal settlement activity, and further entrenching Israeli administration,” he said.
Restating Pakistan’s long-standing position on Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands, Andrabi said the country issued “a joint statement” with “eight other countries” condemning a statement by the US ambassador to Israel suggesting it would be acceptable for Israel to exercise control over territories belonging to Arab states.
He said Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, along with the OIC Secretariat and the League of Arab States, “strongly condemned” the remarks.
The US envoy’s comment was “dangerous, inflammatory, and clear violation of international law and the UN Charter,” Andrabi said. He added that it threatened regional security and stability.
Separately, Andrabi addressed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent state visit to Qatar at the invitation of the emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
PM Sharif met the Qatari emir and discussed enhancing cooperation in several areas, including economic ties. Both sides agreed on resolving international disputes peacefully through “dialogue” and “diplomacy.”
Sheikh Tamim will “visit Pakistan later this year,” he added.
During the visit, PM Sharif also met Qatar’s defense minister, Sheikh Saud Al Thani, who expressed interest in expanding defense cooperation between the two countries and “appreciated the professionalism and expertise of Pakistan's armed forces.”
