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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has urged international attention toward &ldquo;systemic annexation&rdquo; of the occupied West Bank by Israel.&nbsp;This was said in a 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 held on Friday. In his statement, shared on X by Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Mission to the UN on Saturday, Ambassador Ahmad stated, &ldquo;While international attention is consumed by multiple crises across the region, the systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, expansion of illegal settlements, demolitions, land seizures and forced displacement of Palestinians continue unabated, and this requires our attention.&rdquo;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2052855422407823867&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=2972af924f26f3b371baffdc0f8494bca3dc472e&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 696px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2052855422407823867"></iframe></div></div>The ambassador underscored &ldquo;Israeli policies and illegal actions, unprecedented in scale and impact are undermining the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.&rdquo;&nbsp; He said Pakistan condemns &ldquo;Israel&rsquo;s ongoing legislative and administrative measures aimed at entrenching its illegal occupation and transforming de facto annexation into de jure control.&rdquo;&nbsp;Illegal settlements&nbsp;The ambassador demanded that those actions must be reversed immediately.&nbsp; He said that &ldquo;In nearly four years, the occupying power has approved 102 new settlements, nearly doubling the 127 settlements that existed previously.&rdquo; &ldquo;At the same time, settler violence is escalating at an unprecedented rate,&rdquo; Ambassador Ahmad said, urging, &ldquo;All settler violence and settlement activities must cease, in full compliance with international law and relevant Council resolutions, including 2334.&rdquo;&nbsp;&lsquo;Deteriorating humanitarian situation&rsquo;&nbsp;He also expressed alarm at the &ldquo;deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation&rdquo; in the occupied Palestinian territory.&nbsp; Ambassador Ahmad said that the &ldquo;annexation is on full throttle as we have been briefed&rdquo;, adding, &ldquo;The urgency for intervention is clear.&rdquo;&nbsp; Reiterating Pakistan&rsquo;s position on the issue, he said, &ldquo;Pakistan reiterates that the only viable path to a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East lies in ending the illegal Israeli occupation of all Arab territories and realizing the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, through the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.&rdquo;

Foreign Affairs

Islamabad’s ambassador to the UN says, ‘the systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, expansion of illegal settlements, demolitions, land seizures and forced displacement of Palestinians continue unabated, and this requires our attention.’ 

Pakistan urges global attention to ‘systematic annexation’ of occupied West Bank

RAMALLAH: Israel has approved the establishment of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media reports and the watchdog Peace Now, which said the decision was taken &quot;secretly&quot; in early April. &quot;The security cabinet secretly decided to establish 34 new settlements,&quot; Peace Now said in a statement released late on Thursday.The 34 settlements come on top of 68 others already approved since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s right-wing government came to power in 2022. The decision has not been officially published by any government body, and the defence ministry, in charge of settlements in the occupied West Bank, declined to respond to AFP&#39;s questions. &quot;We are not addressing this issue,&quot; a spokesperson for the ministry told AFP. According to news channel i24News, 10 of the 34 settlements are already existing outposts, which are illegal under Israeli law, but will now be retroactively legalised under the decision. The remaining 24 are yet to be built. All settlements are illegal under international law. News website Ynet reported that military chief Eyal Zamir warned during the security cabinet meeting that took place on April 1 that the army could &quot;collapse&quot; because of increasing demands on its manpower. That included the legalisation of dozens of outposts, granting them official settlement status and therefore for protection from Israeli troops. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. Excluding east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis now live there in settlements, among some three million Palestinians. Settlement expansion has been a policy under successive Israeli governments since 1967, but has accelerated significantly under the current Netanyahu-led coalition, widely regarded as one of the most right-wing in Israel&#39;s history. Rights groups say approvals of new settlements, land seizures and settler violence have further increased since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

Middle East

Israel has approved the establishment of 34 new settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli media reports and the watchdog Peace Now, which said the decision was taken "secretly" in early April.

Israel approves 34 new West Bank settlements

JERUSALEM: Diplomats from 13 European countries and Canada on Saturday slammed growing &quot;terror&quot; by settlers against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, after a surge in deadly attacks. Since the start of March, six Palestinians have been shot dead in settler attacks in the West Bank, according to a tally of data from the Ramallah-based health ministry. &quot;We strongly condemn increasing settler terror and violence by the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/un-expert-claims-israel-using-systematic-torture" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Israeli </a>security forces inflicted upon Palestinian communities,&quot; said a joint statement from the diplomatic missions of countries including France, Spain and Britain. &lsquo;Appalled by the killings&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;We are especially appalled by the killings of Palestinians over these past weeks. This <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/palestinians-say-israeli-settler-fire-kills-two-in-west-bank" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">violence</a> by settler militias, aimed at taking over land and creating a coercive environment, forcing Palestinians to leave their homes, must end.&quot; The statement called on the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/gaza-civil-defence-says-israeli-strikes-kill-at-least-5" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Israeli</a> authorities to &quot;prevent and prosecute the lethal violence, raids and attacks&quot;. &lsquo;Morally and ethically unacceptable&rsquo;Israel&#39;s military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir on Wednesday criticized the increase in settler attacks in the West Bank, calling it &quot;morally and ethically unacceptable&quot;. Alongside roughly three million Palestinians, more than 500,000 Israelis live in settlements and outposts in the West Bank, which are illegal under international law. More broadly, violence in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967, has risen sharply since the October 7, 2023. It has continued despite the ceasefire and spiked since the start of the war against Iran. Over 1,000 Palestinians killed&nbsp;According to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,050 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war. Israeli troops last week shot dead two children and their parents in a car, Palestinian authorities said.&nbsp; The Israeli military and police said soldiers opened fire on a vehicle over a perceived safety threat, killing four people inside. Official Israeli figures say 45 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have also been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations.

Since the start of March, six Palestinians have been shot dead in settler attacks in the West Bank, according to a tally of data from the Ramallah-based health ministry.

European nations decry 'increasing settler terror' in West Bank

JERUSALEM:&nbsp;A senior Israeli far-right minister vowed to encourage &quot;emigration&quot; from the Palestinian territories, despite mounting criticism of recent measures tightening Israel&#39;s control over the occupied West Bank. Since last week, Israel has approved a series of initiatives backed by far-right ministers to consolidate control over the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/palestinian-child-dies-after-stepping-on-mine-in-west-bank" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">West Bank</a>, including in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority under the Oslo Accords, in place since the 1990s. &ldquo;We will eliminate the idea of an Arab terror state,&rdquo; far-right <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/dozens-of-un-member-states-condemn-israeli-west-bank-measures" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich</a> said at an event organized by his Religious Zionism Party late on Tuesday. &quot;We will finally, formally, and in practical terms nullify the cursed Oslo Accords and embark on a path toward sovereignty, while encouraging emigration from both Gaza and Judea and Samaria,&quot; he said, using the Biblical term for the West Bank. &quot;There is no other long-term solution,&quot; added <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/israel-accused-of-move-expanding-jerusalem-borders-for-first-time-since-1967" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Smotrich</a>, who himself lives in a settlement in the West Bank. &lsquo;Colonization 2030&rsquo;Smotrich was speaking at a vineyard near Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, where he presented what he called &quot;Colonization 2030&quot;, a campaign initiative ahead of national elections scheduled for later this year. In addition to the finance portfolio, Smotrich serves on Israel&#39;s security cabinet, which takes key decisions regarding the West Bank, making him a central figure in efforts to expand settlements there. The recently approved measures include launching a process to register land in the West Bank as &quot;state property&quot; and allowing Jewish Israelis to purchase land directly. Until now, land acquisitions for settlers were typically carried out through intermediary companies. The new measures repeal a decades-old law that barred Jews from directly purchasing land&nbsp;in the West Bank. &quot;This will allow Jews to purchase land in Judea and Samaria exactly as they do in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem,&quot; Smotrich said last week. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Global outrage&nbsp;</h2>The steps are also set to increase Israel&#39;s control in parts of the West Bank where the Palestinian Authority currently exercises power. Under the Oslo Accords, the West Bank was divided into areas A, B and C -- under Palestinian, mixed and Israeli governance respectively. The West Bank would form the largest part of any future Palestinian state, but many on Israel&#39;s religious right view it as Israeli land. The Oslo Accords were signed with the stated aim of paving the way for an independent Palestinian state. Israeli NGOs have also raised the alarm over a settlement plan signed by the government which they say would mark the first expansion of Jerusalem&#39;s borders into the occupied West Bank since 1967. The planned development, announced by Israel&#39;s Ministry of Construction and Housing, is formally a westward expansion of the Geva Binyamin, or Adam, settlement situated northeast of Jerusalem in the West Bank. The new measures have triggered widespread international outrage. De facto annexationOn Tuesday, the UN missions of 85 countries condemned the measures, which critics say amount to de facto annexation of the Palestinian territory. &quot;We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel&#39;s unlawful presence in the West Bank,&quot; they said in a statement. &quot;Such decisions are contrary to Israel&#39;s obligations under international law and must be immediately reversed. &quot;We underline in this regard our strong opposition to any form of annexation.&quot; US President Donald Trump has previously voiced opposition to annexation of the West Bank, but has stopped short of directly criticizing the latest Israeli measures. &lsquo;Stable West Bank&rsquo;&nbsp;&quot;As the president has clearly stated, he does not support Israel annexing the West Bank,&quot; a Trump administration official said earlier this month. &quot;A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration&#39;s goal to achieve peace,&quot; the official said. Excluding Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, more than 500,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements and outposts, which are illegal under international law. Around three million Palestinians live in the territory, which Israel has occupied since 1967. The current Israeli government, considered one of the most right wing in the country&#39;s history, has fast-tracked settlement expansion. It has approved a record 54 settlements in 2025, according to Israeli NGO Peace Now.

In addition to the finance portfolio, Israeli minister Smotrich serves on Israel's security cabinet, which takes key decisions regarding the West Bank, making him a central figure in efforts to expand settlements there.

Articles tagged with "Illegal Israeli Settlements"

Pakistan urges global attention to ‘systematic annexation’ of occupied West Bank

Israel approves 34 new West Bank settlements

European nations decry 'increasing settler terror' in West Bank

Top Israeli minister pushes for 'emigration' of West Bank, Gaza Palestinians