Dar urges coordinated OIC action over Israeli violations in Palestine
At a New York meeting on the UN General Assembly sidelines, the foreign minister called for protecting Al-Aqsa and Palestinian-led governance in Gaza
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar asked OIC member states on Tuesday to coordinate diplomatic action to hold Israel accountable for violations of international law against Palestinians and to stop their forced displacement.
Speaking at a meeting of the OIC Committee of Six in New York, held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, Dar said the current situation required renewed and coordinated diplomatic action by the organization and its members.
He called on the OIC to safeguard the legal and historical status quo of Al-Aqsa Mosque and to reject Israel's illegal settlement expansion, annexation measures, settler violence and forced displacement of Palestinians. Dar urged member states to increase coordination at the United Nations and other international forums to protect the Palestinian people and uphold international law, including accountability for violations of international and humanitarian law.
Dar also said OIC countries should ensure implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan and UN Security Council resolutions on Palestine. He added that reconstruction and governance arrangements for Gaza should remain Palestinian-led, with a central role for the Palestinian Authority.
The foreign office said Dar would press for an independent Palestinian state during his UN General Assembly visit and highlight Pakistan's efforts to broker peace between the United States and Iran. The Express Tribune reported that Dar said Israel's illegal settlement activity continued to threaten the territorial integrity of occupied Palestine.
An Israeli drone strike killed one Palestinian and wounded several others on Monday evening in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip. Since October 2023, at least 73,914 Palestinians have been killed and 174,952 wounded, according to Palestinian health authorities.
Pakistan does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and supports an independent Palestinian state with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital, along the pre-1967 borders.
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