ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday drew the world attention to Israeli expansion in the West Bank, describing it as an “impediment to peace” in Palestine.

Sharif’s statement came on the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a UN-organized observance, and months after Israeli ministers said 22 new Jewish settlements had been approved in the occupied West Bank in the biggest expansion in decades.

Israeli settlements, which are widely seen as illegal under the international law, are one of the most contentious issues between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel has built about 160 settlements housing some 700,000 Jews since it occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war.

Sharif said the world witnessed the killing of more than 70,000 people in Israel’s relentless violence in Gaza, with homes, hospitals, schools and civic infrastructure reduced to rubble, yet the Palestinian people have demonstrated exemplary resilience and remained steadfast to their cause.

“While the world condemns the relentless aggression in Gaza, we must not allow our attention to drift away from the grave situation in the West Bank,” he said. “The continued expansion of illegal settlements remains a blatant violation of international law and a major impediment to peace.”

He said a real opportunity has emerged in the form of the High-Level Conference on the Two State Solution and President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, calling for a sustained ceasefire and ensure unhindered humanitarian access in the territory.

“United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) must be fully enabled to resume its vital operations, without impediment or politicization,” the Pakistan premier said.

“Most importantly, there must be a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied Palestinian lands including Gaza as the people of Palestine deserve permanent peace and prosperity.”

Sharif said that Pakistan, which does not recognize Israel, remains firmly committed to a just, lasting, and comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian question, based on the relevant and valid UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.

“Pakistan reiterates its full support for the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, including the vital right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent, viable, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

“We stand by Palestinians in their just struggle, in their due resilience, and in their rightful aspiration for freedom, dignity, and peace.”