ISLAMABAD: Pakistan warned on Tuesday that settler violence against Palestinians has reached unprecedented levels, pointing out Israel has not met its obligations as an occupying power to protect Palestinian civilians while calling for an immediate halt to Israeli settlement activity.
Speaking at a United Nations Security Council briefing, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said recent attacks against Palestinians marked a dangerous escalation and demanded urgent international action.
The remarks come as the Middle East faces heightened instability, including an ongoing war involving Iran that has led to a regional spillover.
Pakistan said that despite multiple overlapping crises, the “unresolved Question of Palestine” remains at the core of regional tensions, fueling grievances and undermining efforts toward lasting peace.
“In recent weeks, settler violence has reached its highest level since the United Nations began systematic tracking of this aspect,” the Pakistani envoy told the Council.
“What we are witnessing is no longer a matter of isolated incidents, but organized, coordinated attacks against the Palestinian population,” he continued. “This is a direct consequence of an occupation system allowed to operate with impunity. Let me underline that such measures violate international law, undermine ongoing peace efforts, run counter to the Comprehensive Plan and jeopardize the prospects of achieving just and lasting peace.”
Ahmad cited recent incidents in the occupied West Bank, including the killing of a Palestinian family in Tammun and a wave of attacks in which homes, mosques and vehicles were burned and civilians injured.
“As the occupying power, Israel bears legal obligation under international law to protect Palestinian civilians,” he added. “That obligation is being violated with impunity.”
Pakistan called for settlement expansion to stop in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and urged an immediate end to organized settler violence, saying any attempt to alter the demographic or legal character of occupied territories was illegal.
It also pressed for full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2803, including a sustained ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian access and reconstruction in Gaza without annexation or forced displacement.
It emphasized the need for accountability, saying those responsible for violence against civilians must be brought to justice, and reiterated support for a time-bound political process leading to the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
The Pakistani diplomat warned the region stood at a “perilous crossroad,” urging restraint and stressing that a just resolution of the Palestinian issue remained essential to preventing further escalation.
