UNITED NATIONS, Oct 15: Pakistan on Tuesday urged the Security Council to declare the separation wall constructed by Israel as “illegal, since it is an unlawful annexation of the occupied Palestinian territory.”

“It entails enormous humanitarian suffering for the affected Palestinian people. And, it seriously undermines the prospects for a just and lasting solution of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.”

Addressing the UN Security Council, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN said: “The government of Israel must by asked to cease and reverse its construction.”

Ambassador Munir Akram said: “We have returned to this Chamber, again, to discuss one grave aspect of the disturbing situation in the Middle East.”

He said that a fundamental principle of international law, flowing from the UN’s Charter was the illegality of the acquisition of territory “by the use of force.”

Resolutions 242, 338 and all subsequent international agreements on the Middle East were based on the principle and require Israel’s withdrawal from Arab occupied territories.

The separation wall, being built in the occupied territory, he said, “incorporates substantial areas of occupied West bank into Israel and (it) does not follow the so-called Green Line. There is a contention that the wall is a temporary measure ... (enhancing measures against terrorism) ... This is not a tenable argument.”

“There would have been no terrorism had there been no foreign occupation. The objective, we fear, is indeed to pre-empt the solution of the Middle East conflict on the basis of the principle of land for peace,” Mr Akram said.—APP