Pakistan Urges Israel To Halt 'unlawful' Settlement Expansion In Occupied West Bank

Pakistan has called on Israel to immediately halt its settlement activity in the occupied West Bank that has been stepped up in the past three months, saying that the project violated UN Security Council resolutions and would undermine Middle East peace prospects

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Sep, 2025) Pakistan has called on Israel to immediately halt its settlement activity in the occupied West Bank that has been stepped up in the past three months, saying that the project violated UN Security Council resolutions and would undermine Middle East peace prospects.

"The E-1 settlement plan is a direct assault on the two-state framework, threatening to sever East Jerusalem from Palestinian areas and dismantle the contiguity of the West Bank," Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, warned in a speech to 15-member Council on Monday.

"Such policies are not only unjust; they are unlawful," he said in a debate on the UN Secretary-General’s quarterly report on implementation of Council resolution 2334, which calls on Israel to immediately and completely cease all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory.

"Yet instead of compliance, we see defiance and acceleration of settlement activity," the Pakistani envoy said.

"If the Council cannot enforce its own decisions, its credibility will be in jeopardy."

At the same time, Ambassador Asim Ahmad spoke of "glimmers of hope", noting the Two-State Solution Conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, and the recent recognitions of Palestine by several countries.

"We value the initiative of President Donald Trump, working with eight OIC and Arab countries to advance peace through concrete measures," the Pakistani envoy said.

Pakistan, he said, will closely engage and play a constructive role in promoting consensus, highlighting the country's aim was to ensure that these efforts contribute to alleviating the Palestinian people's suffering and to achieving a lasting peace, consistent with UN resolutions and international legitimacy leading to Palestinian statehood.

"Ensuring full ownership of the Palestinians, and the Palestinian Authority will be vital for any process," he added

More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, since the Israeli war began in Oct. 2023.

"Gaza is not only being bombed from the sky; its people are being starved on the ground," Ambassador Asim Ahmad said, pointing out that homes, schools and hospitals have been reduced to rubble.

"The expansion of military operations in Gaza City is a catastrophe before our eyes, risking the forced displacement of nearly a million people who have no safe refuge left."

In this regard, the Pakistani envoy called for an immediate ceasefire; lifting of the Gaza blockade and unimpeded humanitarian access, alongside the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners; ending forced displacement and settlement activity; a firm ‘No’ to annexation of Gaza or the West Bank; implementation of Resolution 2334 and preserving the viability of the two-state solution, lunching a political process leading to a sovereign and contiguous State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

"The people of Palestine cannot wait," Ambassador Asim Ahmad said, reaffirming that Pakistan will stand with the Palestinian people and work with Council members and other partners towards a just and lasting peace for all in the region.

Opening the debate, Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, called on Israel to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem”, among other measures.

“Settlement activity has, nevertheless, accelerated,” he told the Security Council.

The secretary-general's report covers the period from 18 June to 19 September. During this time, Israeli authorities advanced or approved some 20,810 housing units in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, it was pointed out.

On 2 July, 15 Israeli ministers and the speaker of the Knesset, or parliament, signed a petition calling for Israel to annex the occupied West Bank. Three weeks later, the Knesset adopted a non-binding motion calling for the “application of Israeli sovereignty” across all settlements there.

Demolitions and seizures of Palestinian-owned structures also increased while evictions continued.

“Citing the lack of Israeli-issued building permits, which are almost impossible for Palestinians to obtain, Israeli authorities demolished, seized or forced people to demolish 455 structures”, Alakbarov said. Thirty of the structures were donor funded and overall, 420 people were displaced, mostly women and children.

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