WASHINGTON(National Times)- Pakistan has reminded the UN Security Council that the \u201croot cause of instability in the Middle East\u201d remains the unresolved question of Palestine and urged renewed diplomatic momentum toward a two-state solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Delivering Pakistan\u2019s statement in a high-level Council debate on the Middle East on Tuesday, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the region remained \u201cextremely volatile with multiple and interconnected crises\u201d, warning that restraint, dialogue and adherence to the UN Charter were essential to prevent escalation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani accused unnamed aggressors of \u201cgrave violations of international humanitarian law\u201d and deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure. He recalled that \u201ca girls school in Minab, Iran, was destroyed, killing more than 168 students\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And \u201cat least 3,375 civilians\u201d have been killed since the US invasion began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He further asserted that \u201cmore than 700 educational institutions, along with healthcare and cultural facilities, have been attacked\u201d, and demanded accountability from \u201cthe United States and the Israeli regime\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meeting brought together a wide range of regional and international actors, many of whom blamed Israel for the situation in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inadequate \u2018humanitarian access\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ambassador Ahmad said the Gaza ceasefire had provided \u201crelief, but remains fragile with violations ongoing\u201d, adding that \u201cmore than 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since the announcement of ceasefire\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stressed that humanitarian access remained inadequate, calling for \u201csustained, unhindered and scaled up humanitarian assistance\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the diplomatic track, he reiterated support for efforts involving the United States, Arab states and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation aimed at advancing a \u201ctime-bound political process\u201d leading to a sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turning to Lebanon, Ambassador Ahmad said Israeli military actions, particularly in the south, had resulted in \u201cmore than two thousand civilian casualties.\u201d He welcomed the extension of the ceasefire brokered with US involvement but cautioned that violations continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pakistan, he added, remained actively engaged in diplomatic efforts, including recent talks in Islamabad between the United States and Iran, which he described as part of Islamabad\u2019s commitment to \u201cfostering dialogue and stability across the region\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Infringement of sovereignty<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Lebanon\u2019s Ambassador Ahmad Arafa, while welcoming mediation efforts including those attributed to US President Donald Trump, insisted that Beirut would not accept any infringement of its sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Lebanese government will not compromise on a single metre of Lebanon,\u201d he said, adding that it would \u201cnot accept any formal occupation.\u201d He questioned ongoing Israeli actions despite ceasefire arrangements, asking: \u201cHow can such practices contribute to building the necessary trust required for any future negotiation process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Syria\u2019s Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi reaffirmed Damascus\u2019s position on the occupied Golan Heights, declaring: \u201cThe Syrian Golan is, and will remain, Syrian.\u201d He accused Israeli forces of crossing the Line of Disengagement in southern Syria, alleging they were \u201ckidnapping Syrians from their beds while sleeping\u201d and threatening civilian livelihoods through raids and resource diversion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Egypt, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said regional stability was inseparable from Palestinian rights, stating: \u201cSecurity, stability, and peace remain contingent upon the end of the Israeli occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The European Union\u2019s representative, Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, warned that \u201cthe approval of the Death Penalty Bill by the Israeli parliament marks a grave regression from that practice and from Israel\u2019s own commitments\u201d, urging Israel to return to its previous principled position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Gaza, he demanded the full withdrawal of Israeli forces and deployment of the temporary International Stabilisation Force\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He also highlighted recent EU diplomatic engagement, noting that on April 20 the bloc co-hosted \u201ctwo important meetings in Brussels, the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution and the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBoth events demonstrated strong international consensus on safeguarding the two-state solution and strengthening Palestinian institutions as indispensable steps towards a sustainable peace,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WASHINGTON(National Times)- Pakistan has reminded the UN Security Council that the \u201croot cause of instability in the Middle East\u201d remains the unresolved question of Palestine and urged renewed diplomatic momentum toward a two-state solution. Delivering Pakistan\u2019s statement in a high-level Council debate on the Middle East on Tuesday, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the region […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":125082,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-125081","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","entry"],"yoast_head":"\n