ISLAMABAD, (The Palestine Information Centre)Pakistan Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Sunday said that his country condemned the Israeli aggression on Gaza, adding that the Palestinian people were facing unabated Israel attacks while deprived of water, food, and power, leading to a severe human crisis.
He said Israel committed a genocide against the people of Palestine and the grave situation arising out was the result of seven decades of illegal occupation of the Palestine territories.
Addressing a press conference, the foreign minister said Israel should respect and implement the international laws, the United Nations Security Council, and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) resolutions over the Palestinians’ rights to self-determination for an independent state.
He said that an emergency and extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee of the OIC would be held in Jeddah on October 18 to discuss the ongoing situation in Palestine.
Israel had committed aggression and conducted aerial aggression over Gaza which resulted in the deaths of scores of women and children, he said, adding that any attempt to equate Israel, an aggressor, with the Palestinians’ struggle for self-determination was unacceptable.
Foreign Minister Jilani further stressed the need for a separate status of Palestine under the two-state policy as accepted by the international community with an independent state of Palestine having pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
He also categorically maintained that there was no change of Pakistan’s policy with regard to Israel, it would continue pursuing the same policy as adopted in the past and would continue in the future till Palestinians get their right to self-determination under the UNSC and OIC resolutions.
To a question regarding the humanitarian aid to besieged Palestinians, he said that they were in touch with the international community and the Muslim countries, but unfortunately, there was a complete siege of Gaza.
He said this aspect would be highlighted during the upcoming OIC executive committee meeting in which they would consider the coordinated response of the OIC member countries as to how to bring an end to the violence perpetrated by Israel and how to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.
Pakistan was ready to provide humanitarian assistance and had been in touch with the Egyptian authorities, he added.
He said the OIC committee meeting would make a forceful case for the early resolution of the issue.
