ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday condemned recent remarks by Israeli leaders about the creation of a so-called “Greater Israel,” calling the statements a violation of international law and an attempt to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza.
The comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in recent days have triggered widespread outrage across the Arab and Muslim world.
Netanyahu said in a recent interview he felt “very much” connected to the vision of “Greater Israel,” describing it as a “historic and spiritual mission.” Smotrich announced plans to expand settlement building in the occupied West Bank to “bury the idea of a Palestinian state.”
Arab states, including the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as the Palestinian Authority, have denounced the comments.
“Pakistan strongly condemns and rejects recent statements made by the Israeli Occupying power, alluding to the creation of so-called ‘Greater Israel,’ and its designs aimed at the forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.
The ministry said the remarks showed Israel’s intent to cement its occupation and disregard peace efforts, urging the international community to act swiftly to halt further regional destabilization and end crimes against Palestinians.
Pakistan called on states to “outrightly reject such provocative notions that constitute a flagrant violation of the international law, principles of the UN Charter, as well as the relevant United Nations resolutions.”
Reiterating Islamabad’s long-standing position, the Foreign Office reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
