New York, 28 Nov 2023: Taking part in the UN General Assembly Debate on the Question of Palestine, Ambassador Usman Iqbal Jadoon, acting Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, has asked the General Assembly and UN Security to consider the establishment of a special tribunal and accountability mechanism to investigate Israel’s atrocity crimes, deployment of an international protection force or mechanism to protect Palestinian civilians, especially women and children in Gaza and West Bank, and play its role in the restoration of the peace process.
Statement by Ambassador Usman Iqbal Jadoon, Acting Permanent Representative, At the UN General Assembly Debate, On Agenda Item 35, Question of Palestine.
Mr. President, Today’s debate offers an opportunity to not only reflect on the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza created by the war waged by Israel against the Palestinian people, but to also take stock of the implementation of resolution ES-10/21 adopted by the 10th Emergency Special Session of the General on 27th October 2023 which called for a humanitarian truce leading to cessation of hostilities, unimpeded supplies of relief goods, and a stop to the illegal forced displacements.
We regret that the General Assembly’s call was not heeded by Israel, which continued its indiscriminate and criminal attacks against the Palestinian people. Israel also ignored the call from the Security Council to comply with its obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, notably with regard to the protection of civilians, especially children; and to refrain from depriving the civilian population in the Gaza Strip of basic services and humanitarian assistance indispensable to their survival.
We strongly and unequivocally condemn the indiscriminate use of force by Israel. Israel’s attacks on civilians, civilian objects and infrastructure, blockading of water, food and fuel, as well as the forced displacement of people within the occupied territory, are flagrant violations of international humanitarian law and amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, and may amount to the crime of genocide.
We take note of the reports regarding the agreement among the relevant parties for a humanitarian pause. We appreciate the efforts undertaken by Qatar and Egypt towards this end. Pakistan’s position, however, remains in favour of a complete and immediate cessation of hostilities. The Israeli killing machine operating with complete impunity needs to be stopped. And, Israel must be held accountable for its defiance and criminal actions.
Amid these extremely challenging times, the Government and the people of Pakistan wholeheartedly extend their unwavering solidarity with our Palestinian brothers and sisters facing the brutal onslaught from Israeli occupation forces. The suffering and collective punishment endured by the besieged people of Gaza is unprecedented in modern history. More than 14,000 Palestinians have lost their lives, two-thirds of them women and children. Tens of thousands have been injured. Around 2,700, including 1,500 children have been reported missing or dead, or trapped under the rubble. In excess of 1.7 million Gazans have been displaced and over 41,000 housing units have been destroyed. Only two small hospitals in Northern Gaza are partially operational, with the remaining 22 being out of service. Of the 11 medical facilities in the south, only 7 are currently functional. 108 UNRWA staff have been killed in Gaza since 7 October. At least 53 journalists have been killed since the hostilities began.
We reject Israel’s portrayal of its aggressive actions as anti-terrorism measures and its relentless bombing of Gaza as an exercise of self-defence. The root cause of the crisis lies in Israel’s prolonged occupation and denial of Palestinians’ inalienable right to self determination. Israel’s murderous campaign against the occupied people of Palestine struggling for their freedom cannot be justified under the guise of self defence. The joint extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit held in Riyadh on 11 November 2023, underscored the centrality of the Palestinian cause and extended full support for the legitimate struggle of the Palestinian people to liberate all their occupied territories and the need to end the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
described the ongoing Israeli aggression as a retaliatory war crime that cannot be justified under any guise and demanded that all countries stop exporting weapons and ammunitions to the occupation authorities that are used by their army and terrorist settlers to kill the Palestinian people and destroy their homes, hospitals, schools, mosques, churches, and all their properties.
We welcome the visits to P-5 capitals by the Ministerial Committee mandated by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit, chaired by the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, and hope that it will lead to meaningful action from the Security Council to halt the Israeli slaughter, impose a durable ceasefire, enable humanitarian assistance, and revive the peace process. We hope the Security Council will not be paralysed again by the partisan position of some delegations. We are confident that, under China’s leadership, the Security Council will fulfil its mandate for the maintenance of peace and security.
Israel must comply with the provisions of the resolution adopted by the General Assembly by implementing an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and allowing the flow of sufficient, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian assistance into Gaza to preserve lives and prevent further suffering of innocent Palestinians. The General Assembly and the Security Council should also consider the following:
One, establishment of a special tribunal and accountability mechanism to investigate Israel’s atrocity crimes, identify and prosecute those responsible for war crimes committed, and to provide reparations for damage, loss or injury arising from these crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces.
Two, deployment of an international protection force or mechanism to protect Palestinian civilians, especially women and children, in Gaza and the West Bank, from further attacks and oppression by the occupation forces and extremist colonialist settlers.
Three, restore and reinvigorate the peace process. The Middle East Quartet should revive its efforts under the auspices of the Secretary-General. It should be expanded to include participation of the OIC and China to establish a durable solution based on the internationally agreed two-State solution with a secure, viable, contiguous and sovereign state of Palestine on the basis of the pre-June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Four, Pakistan will support the convening of an International Conference to launch a revived peace process and support the admission of the State of Palestine as a full member of the United Nations.
Sub Editor: Ghufran