ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday presented a seven-point plan before the OIC to end Israel’s war in Gaza and achieve lasting peace in Palestine, urging Muslim countries to take “concrete measures” rather than issue statements of sympathy.
Dar was speaking at the 21st Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, being held from Aug. 25-26, against the backdrop of Israel intensifying its military operations in Gaza. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet approved a plan for the territory’s full military occupation, a move that has drawn international condemnation and warnings it would worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Addressing the gathering, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar accused Israel of “systematic, premeditated and deliberate” violations of international law, highlighting that over 60,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, had been killed since Oct. 7, 2023, when Israel launched its onslaught. He described attacks on hospitals, schools, UN facilities, aid convoys and refugee camps as “wanton acts of collective punishment in full world view.”
Dar said the Palestinian question was a “litmus test” for the credibility of the global “rules-based order” and laid out seven steps that Pakistan to end the violence and achieve peace.
“First, an immediate, permanent and unconditional ceasefire across Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, with full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2735,” Dar said.
“Second, unfettered, sustained and secure humanitarian access to all civilians in need, and the protection of aid workers, medical teams and the UN personnel. Pakistan has continued a steady dispatch of humanitarian goods for our brothers and sisters in Gaza.”
Pakistan’s third step called for “renewed and reinforced international support to UNRWA, which remains indispensable to the survival of millions of Palestinians.” The fourth step was an end to forced displacement, settlement expansion and annexation of Palestinian land, particularly in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Dar warned that “Israel’s declared intent to occupy Gaza city would be a deliberate attempt to obliterate Palestinian existence and heritage. It must be firmly opposed.”
Dar added that the plan also called for the implementation of an Arab and OIC-led reconstruction program for Gaza, the revival of a time-bound political process for a two-state solution and accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
He warned against “the brazen audacity of the so-called Israeli cabinet in unveiling its ominous plan to extend Israel’s full military control over Gaza as well as the Israeli prime minister’s recent allusion to the creation of a ‘Greater Israel,’” saying it revealed Israel’s “annexationist and rogue mindset.”
“We joined the statement issued by the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee, along with other countries, in expressing strong condemnation and categorical rejection of the Israeli announcement, denouncing it as an unacceptable escalation and a brazen attempt to entrench illegal occupation by coercion,” the Pakistani deputy PM said.
Calling the crisis “a defining moment for the Muslim Ummah,” he added:
“History will not judge us by our words but by our actions. The Palestinian people do not seek statements of sympathy; they need concrete measures to end their suffering and secure their liberation from Israeli occupation. The OIC must rise to this challenge with unity, resolve, and purpose.”
