Pakistan condemns ‘Greater Israel’ idea

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Friday condemned and rejected outright Israel’s statements about the creation of so-called “Greater Israel” and its designs to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza.

“Such statements reflect the occupying power’s intention to entrench its illegal occupation, as well as its complete contempt for all international efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability in the region. The international community must take immediate and tangible measures to prevent the occupying power from further destabilizing the region, and to end its ongoing crimes and atrocities against the Palestinians,” responded the foreign ministry.

It reached out to the international community to reject outright such provocative notions that constitute a flagrant violation of the international law, principles of the UN Charter, as well as the relevant United Nations

Pakistan once again reaffirmed its full support for the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights, including the right to self-determination and establishment of an independent, viable and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Meanwhile, the UN human rights office has said an Israeli plan to build thousands of new homes between an Israeli settlement in the West Bank and near East Jerusalem was illegal under the international law and would put nearby Palestinians at risk of forced eviction, which it described as a war crime, Reuters reports.

The UN rights office spokesperson said the plan would break the West Bank into isolated enclaves and that it was “a war crime for an occupying power to transfer its own civilian population into the territory it occupies”.

In unrelated news, Pakistan Friday reached out to Kashmiris in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K) who have been devastated by the recent devastation caused by a cloudburst in Kishtwar.

“The Government and people of Pakistan are deeply grieved at the tragic loss of precious lives and extensive damage to property caused by the recent cloudburst in Kishtwar, Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K),” said the Foreign Ministry. Pakistan also opened up the Wagah Border on Thursday which saw Pakistan Rangers and Indian Border Security Force participating once again. Thursday also saw women from Pakistan Rangers participating in the Beating the Retreat ceremony, which started in 1959, with huge crowds on both sides of the Wagah- Attari border. The ceremony was halted on May 7, when India launched the unprovoked Operation Sindoor against Pakistan.