ISLAMABAD, Aug 4: The National Assembly on Friday took a rare swipe at Israel’s Western “supporters” without naming them, condemning them along with the Jewish state for “naked aggression” against the Lebanese and Palestinian civilians.

But a lone member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), who sought condemnation of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant movement as well, denied unanimity to a multi-partisan resolution, which also asked the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) members to provide “all possible material, moral, diplomatic and political support” to Lebanon and the Palestinians.

“The National Assembly of Pakistan condemns in the strongest terms the cruel bombing, shelling, naked aggression and invasion on unarmed civilians of Lebanon and Palestine by Israel and its supporters...,” said the resolution sponsored by all parliamentary groups in the house.

It came two days after a unanimously passed Senate resolution on the present Middle East crisis said that Israel was “raining death and destruction with full backing of its allies”.

But the Assembly resolution went further to condemn and blame Israel’s “supporters” for the invasion.

It refrained from naming these supporters, but several opposition speakers particularly condemned the United States for supporting Israel, some even asking the Pakistani government to review its foreign policy as a key ally to the American-led so- called war on terrorism.

In most previous joint resolutions in the present parliament, the government had succeeded in avoiding even an indirect condemnation of the United States.

But PML president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain told the house the government had not much changed an opposition draft in the interest of a united stand on the situation.

In a brief sentimental speech, he regretted that the United Nations had done little to stop the Israeli actions and that not many heads of government turned up at an OIC executive committee meeting on the issue that ended in Malaysia on Thursday.

“If this remains the situation then God help the Islamic world,” he said and added: “If the Islamic countries unite, they will not remain dependent on the United Nations. We will have to do something now and come out of the present situation.”

The resolution said the UN Security Council had endangered its own credibility by failing to take steps for an immediate ceasefire, adding that it feared the UN was itself moving towards the fate of its liquidated predecessor, the League of Nations.

The house expressed its surprise that the international community was watching “this human tragedy as a silent spectator and cannot agree even on an appeal for a ceasefire”.

It asked the 57-nation OIC to fulfil

its duties under its Makkah Declaration to protect Lebanon’s territorial integrity.

Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA) president Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who opened the debate after the house suspended other business on the agenda, said the United Nations had failed to take any action because it had become a US hostage.

He said Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah had emerged as a Muslim leader while “dictators and kings” of Muslim countries had abandoned the cause of resistance.

Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi of the People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPP) said assembly members of the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy would donate their one months’ salaries while the alliance would also collect more funds to help the victims of the Israeli attacks.

Religious Affairs Minister Mohammad Ijazul Haq proposed sending a joint parliamentary delegation to the conflict area, but MMA’s Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said it would be better to take a joint stand than sending a delegation there.

PML member M.P. Bhandara said the house should pass a balanced resolution to condemn Israel for its occupation of the West Bank and not agreeing to a prisoner exchange and the Hezbollah for “becoming a state within a state”.

He was the only member to say “no” when Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain put the resolution to vote, before adjourning the house until 5pm on Monday, and was greeted with a cry of “shame” from opposition benches.