UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for operationalising the Gaza Reconstruction Plan endorsed by the OIC and Arab Group.

As diplomats met in New York to prepare for an international conference in June, aimed at advancing global efforts towards achieving a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, Pakistan called for addressing the root cause: Israel’s prolonged occupation.

“Only by ending the occupation can we secure a just and lasting peace,” Amb­assador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the preparatory session that brought together UN member states to finalise arrangements for eight roundtables.

“This conference is both timely and essential,” he said, pointing out that Palestinian people’s continued suffering, the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the systematic erosion of the two-state solution through illegal settlements and unilateral measures by the occupying power demand a resolute international response.

Amb Iftikhar spells out steps at preparatory session for June conference to preserve Palestinian statehood viability

The conference will take place at the UN headquarters in New York from June 17 to 20. It stems from a resolution approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2024 and will be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.

In his remarks, he said in the lead-up to the June conference, it was imperative to restore and fully implement a ceasefire in Gaza, lift the blockade, ensure unimpeded humanitarian access, including through UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, and protect civilians and aid workers.

“Any attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians, annex territory, or impose militarised aid mechanisms must be firmly rejected,” he said.

Mechanism, transit corridor

To preserve the viability of Palestinian statehood, he said that, among other steps, the conference “must establish a mechanism to monitor and promote enforcement of relevant UNSC resolutions, including those which term settlements illegal and efforts made to secure Palestine’s admission as a full UN member state; and, operationalise the Gaza Reconstruction Plan endorsed by the OIC and Arab Group. Projects such as a Gaza-West Bank transit corridor, seaport reconstruction, and industrial zones are vital for territorial contiguity and Palestinian unity.”

He reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for a just, lasting, and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian Question, rooted in international law and relevant UN resolutions, based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds as the capital of Palestine.

“This conference must serve a turning point, and deliver tangible outcomes,” he told delegates. “Pakistan stands ready to support this conference and contribute to a credible political horizon, for a two-state solution — one that upholds Palestinian rights, ends occupation and delivers durable peace through a viable, sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he added.

Earlier, UN General Assembly President Philemon Yang urged countries to seize the crucial opportunity to finally make progress.

“The horrors we have witnessed in Gaza for over 19 months should spur us to urgent action to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The devastating cycles of death, destruction, and displacement cannot be allowed to continue,” he said.

“This conflict cannot be resolved through permanent war, nor through endless occupation or annexation. It will only end when Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side in their own sovereign, independent states, in peace, security and dignity.”

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2025