ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Tuesday condemned Israel’s decision to legalize nine settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory while calling it a violation of several United Nations resolutions.
Israel’s far-right cabinet recently approved illegal settler outposts in the occupied West Bank, making the Palestinian Authority describe the development as a war against its people.
However, the Israeli government defended the decision in a statement while pointing out that these communities had already existed on the Palestinian land for several decades.
“It is a clear and flagrant violation of international law and relevant United Nations resolutions,” the foreign office said in a statement. “It further encroaches upon the rights of the people of Palestine.”
The statement noted “the illegal and unjust Israeli action would further aggravate the tense situation and undermine the prospect of peace in the region.”
“The international community must make greater efforts to stop Israel from creating conditions which hinder the achievement of the two-state solution,” the foreign office added.
Pakistan has always called for the establishment of an independent State of Palestine along pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as capital.
Israelis have built several hundred illegal settlements which are widely viewed as a threat to the viability of the future Palestinian state.
The people of Palestine and their representatives have also vowed to resist such developments in the past which have led to increased violence in the region.
