• Closing statement of summit links regional peace with end to Israeli occupation of all Arab territories
• MBS demands Gaza, Lebanon truce; asks Israel to respect Iran’s sovereignty
• Pakistan condemns Israeli actions, seeks arms embargo

ISLAMABAD: Regre­tting the international community’s ‘deafening silence’ over the systematic genocide of Palestin­ian people, Prime Minis­ter Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called for swift action to safeguard the inalienable rights of the oppressed Palestinians by ensuring establishment of an independent state.

PM Shehbaz made these remarks at the joint Arab League and OIC summit in Riyadh after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman demanded an immediate halt to the Israeli actions against “our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon”, and condemned the Israeli campaign in Gaza as genocide.

The crown prince also called on Israel to respect Iran’s sovereignty and refrain from attacking Iranian soil, highlighting warming ties between the Middle East rivals.

In his address, PM Shehbaz said that Muslims were duty bound by their religion and conscience to stand resolutely with the people of Palestine, adding “We should not let this genocide and oppression to persist”.

He said Pakistan stro­ngly condemned Israel’s recent strikes against Iran as an outright violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity and added that “We equally denounce Israel’s ongoing aggression against Lebanon and stand in complete solidarity with its people”.

The PM cautioned that such escalation by Israel constituted a dangerous threat that could unleash a broader war.

He stressed that summit must call for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, impose an immediate arms embargo on Israel and lifting of Israel’s blockade against Gaza, ensuring pro­mpt delivery of food, water, electricity and medical aid.

The prime minister also said that Israel must be held accountable for its war crimes, calling upon the summit to pursue the adoption of UNGA special session’s resolution 10/24 that followed up a historic advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

He also demanded a review of Israel’s membership of the United Nations.

The premier was alarmed at the silence of the international community which shut its eyes in the face of such crimes, adding that the atrocities being committed against Palestinians had been rightfully labelled as genocide not only by media, but also by the ICJ.

“With each passing day, every moral code has been flagrantly violated by Israel, yet the killing and destruction continued with no end in sight,” he regretted.

The prime minister questioned how long this annihilation be ignored, adding that Israel has been emboldened with the international community’s indifference and inaction.

“There has been an utter disregard for humanity’s repeated calls for a ceasefire and unhindered humanitarian relief and protection of civilians”.

The prime minister said international laws which were meant to protect the vulnerable had been torn to shreds. “Humanity is being tested and failing while Gaza bleeds, the world watches in deafening silence,” he added.

“Pakistan stands firm in its commitment to Palestine right to self-determination. We reiterate our unwavering support to establish an independent, viable and contiguous state of Palestine with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital based upon its pre-1967 borders,” he added.

The prime minister said it was the only avenue for justice and durable peace in the holy land.

Opening the summit, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, “[Saudi Arabia] affirms its support for the brothers in Palestine and Lebanon to overcome the disastrous humanitarian consequences of the ongoing Israeli aggression.”

Closing statement

The summit leaders demanded Israel withdraw from occupied Palestinian territories as a precondition for regional peace. The summit’s closing statement said that “a just and comprehensive peace in the region... cannot be achieved without ending the Israeli occupation of all occupied Arab territories to the line of June 4, 1967,” referring to the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem as well as Gaza and the Golan Heights.

The statement mentioned UN resolutions which have called on Israel to withdraw from these areas, and the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, in which Arab nations offered Israel normalised ties in return for a two-state agreement with the Palestinians along the 1967 lines.

The statement reiterated regional leaders’ call for Palestinian territories — including Gaza, which is separated from the West Bank by Israeli territory — to be grouped together in a future state.

With input from AFP

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2024