Pakistan has recently urged the UN Security Council to fully and forcefully implement its resolutions on the Middle East conflict that gives the right of self-determination to the Palestinian people. Addressing a meeting of the 15-member UNSC, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, strongly condemned the recent large-scale Israeli military operations in Jenin in the Occupied West Bank, and days-long brutal bombardment in Gaza and called for holding Israel accountable for its grave human rights violations and crimes in Occupied Palestine. The envoy regretted that the Security Council had not been able to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in Occupied Palestine, while, it is incumbent on all states to ensure that any impediment to the exercise of the right to self-determination by the Palestinian people is immediately removed. The Pakistani envoy categorically told the powerful arm of the United Nations that the rule of law can be upheld only if it is applied universally and consistently, without exceptions or double standards.
The humanitarian and security situation in Occupied Palestinian territories including the West Bank and Gaza is altogether heart-wrenching and dire. The criminal silence of the international community continues as the Jewish army has declared the whole of Gaza City a military target and its indiscriminate assault against innocent unarmed Palestinians killed over 5000 thousand people including women and children. Israel’s military has screwed up its blockade on Gaza, together with restricting the entry of food, water and fuel and bombarding the area with air strikes and artillery shelling, displacing hundreds of thousands of others and resulting in severe shortages of food, water and medical supplies. The Israeli military has recently dropped leaflets in the Gaza Strip ordering residents to evacuate the city on an immediate basis while the Israeli Prime Minister has announced that the Jewish troops are ready to enter Gaza to target Hamas positions by using tanks and airstrikes. On the other side, Palestinian authorities have urged the Gazans not to leave their homes and stick to their land as they fear a permanent occupation of Southern Gaza by the Israeli regime. The Palestinian resistance groups have prepared their war strategy against the Israeli war machine yet Palestinians face a scarcity of weapons while an absence of foreign aid is a great setback for them at this point. Currently, 1.1 million Gazans face serious risks to their survival as Israel’s indiscriminate shelling and air strikes continue on civil targets leaving no safe passage for unarmed innocent civilians.
The Security Council failed to uphold its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security in Occupied Palestine. Recently, three special rapporteurs of the UN Human Rights Council had stated that Israeli attacks against the Jenin refugee camp may constitute a war crime and had no justification under international law. The UN Special Rapporteurs had also called for Israel to be held accountable under international law. Realistically, the impunity that Israel has enjoyed for its acts of violence over decades, and the failure of the UN executive arm to uphold its primary responsibility has only fueled and intensified the recurring cycle of violence in Palestine and the broader Middle East region. Currently, the Hamas attack has provided Israel with an excuse to implement its longtime agenda for the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and the expulsion/evictions of Palestinians from their properties, which is not only illegal and grave violations of Security Council’s resolutions but contradicts international law, and humanitarian law. Currently, the lone and sick nuclear power of the Islamic world is unable to use its muscles against the aggressor due to its persistent economic and political weakness.
Thus, diplomatic, political and moral support are the available options with Islamabad. Although Pakistan’s permanent envoy has raised its voice against Israeli warcrimes against unarmed Palestinians but only verbal statements are not sufficient to fulfil the needs of the Palestine cause. Pakistan must actively lobby in support of Palestine by moving a resolution at the relevant forums including the UNSC, the UNGA, the UH Human Rights Council as well as International Criminal Court (ICC). So, the rogue Israeli regime could be penalized for its crimes against civilians, ruthless jingoism and inhumane atrocities against poor Palestinians. Although, we could offer material assistance to our Palestinian brethren yet kinetic diplomacy is of the utmost importance during this hour of need.
