Greater Israel plan to threaten regional peace: FM Dar

F.P. Report

JEDDAH: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday addressed the extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Council of Foreign Ministers (OIC-CFM) in Jeddah, stating that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks about a “Greater Israel” threaten regional peace.

Dar said that in recent days, Israel exhibited its characteristic sordid insensitivity to international norms with highly provocative and unwarranted statements encapsulating its growing disdain and absolute contempt for the international order.

DPM Dar said the brazen audacity of the so-called Israeli cabinet, in unveiling its ominous plan to extend Israel’s full military control over Gaza, as well as the Israeli prime minister’s recent allusion to the creation of a ‘Greater Israel’ provides an insight into Israel’s annexationist and rogue mindset.

He said Pakistan strongly condemned Netanyahu’s remarks, stating that they call for action that would aggravate the already dire humanitarian situation and undermine efforts for peace in the Gaza Strip.

“We joined the statement issued by the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee, along with other countries, in expressing strong condemnation and categorical rejection of the Israeli announcement, denouncing it as an unacceptable escalation and a brazen attempt to entrench illegal occupation by coercion,” he said.

Pakistan also fully endorsed and joined the statement issued by 31 Arab-Islamic countries and the Secretaries General of the OIC, the League of Arab States and the Gulf Cooperation Council, condemning Netanyahu’s comments about “Greater Israel”. His (Netanyahu’s) statement constitutes a direct threat to Arab national security, to the sovereignty of states, and to regional and international peace and security, Dar stated.

“The root cause of this ongoing tragedy is Israel’s prolonged, illegal occupation of Palestinian territory. As long as this occupation endures, peace will remain elusive,” Dar said, quoting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

He said, “Pakistan fully stand by our brotherly Arab states in safeguarding their sovereignty against threats to their independence and territorial integrity.”

Dar called Gaza a graveyard for innocent lives as well as for international law, lamenting the deaths of over 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. The systematic targeting of hospitals, schools, UN facilities, aid convoys and refugee camps are not incidental, these are wanton acts of collective punishment in full world view, the deputy PM said.

The deputy PM highlighted that the humanitarian system in place was a “cruel illusion” and noted that an unprecedented hunger crisis and famine are rampant in the coastal enclave.

Pakistan expresses its deep appreciation to all the states and stakeholders that are playing a role in advancing peace in Gaza. Their ongoing contributions and steadfast support remain essential in the pursuit of stability and justice for the Palestinian people, he stated.

Dar hailed international momentum towards the recognition of a Palestinian state by governments around the world and appreciated the International Conference on the Two-State Solution, which was co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, on July 28.

He said since October 7, 2023, Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed over 62,000 people and injured 157,951, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The United Nations warned last week that with Israeli forces blocking aid, half a million people face “catastrophic hunger” in Gaza, with famine conditions likely to spread further across the Strip. Meanwhile, Israel has continued its bombardment after approving a plan to seize control of Gaza City, calling it the “last bastion of Hamas.”