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Jerusalem issue: Senate passes unanimous condemnation resolution

By Mumtaz Alvi
December 12, 2017

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Monday adopted a unanimous resolution and strongly condemned and rejected US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, saying it exposed America’s ‘so-called position of an independent peacebroker’ across the globe.

The senators were of the view that a march to the US Embassy should be arranged to lodge a protest against the US president’s announcement. The resolution moved by Leader of the House in the Senate Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq, which was unanimously adopted. It stated that the Senate of Pakistan strongly condemned and rejected unilateral announcement by Donald Trump to shift the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as it was a flagrant violation of the international law, UN Security Council Resolutions specially Resolution Nos 478 (1980) and 2334 (2016) and international norms. The senators in their speeches, expressed that the imperialist powers were again active to further destabilise the world, sell their weapons, weaken the Muslim nations and strengthen their own economies.

The House expressed its serious concern over the implications of this decision for international peace and security, especially in the Middle East. The House called upon the United Nations Security Council to take cognizance of this situation and take steps in accordance with the UN Charter and a number of its own resolutions according to which establishment of settlements by Israel in the Palestinian territory, occupied since 1967 including East Jerusalem, had no legal validity.

The Senate declared that the position taken by the US president had exposed the so-called position of the United States as of an independent peace broker and put a halt to the peace talks.

It urged the United States to revisit its decision as soon as possible in order to avoid the potentially grave repercussions in the region and beyond and to play its role in de-escalating the situation on the ground on the basis of international law, international humanitarian law and the previous agreements and obligations.

The Senate declared that all the revealed religions i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam claim their affiliation with the holy city of Jerusalem, however, the US President Trump through his announcement had tried to nullify the religious diversity present in the territory.

The resolution reiterated that any attempt to sabotage the peace process would be the darkest decision of the history and historical wrongs could never be lasting. The resolution appreciated that the international community had rejected this position taken by the US president, which had resulted in an isolated United States of America at the international front. It condemned the killings of innocent citizens by the Israeli forces which proved that the US decision was an aggression, a declaration of war on the Palestinians.

It rejected Israel’s sovereignty over all or any part of Palestine including Jerusalem, reaffirmed its full support, solidarity and commitment with the Palestinian brothers and sisters towards their just cause of freedom and called upon the government to immediately convene a joint sitting of parliament to discuss the issue and the government should explain its policy and the initiatives to be taken to address the grave and immediate challenge.

The House took up the issue of Jerusalem by suspending its agenda of the day as agreed upon between the Leader of the House and Leader of Opposition and in the House Business Advisory Committee.

Senator Farhatullah Babar said that President Trump’s unilateral move to recognise Jerusalem as capital of Israel not only violated 50-year bipartisan consensus in the US and was against UN resolutions but it also sought to dangerously trivialise the explosive and emotive issue of Palestine paving way for a new wave of terrorism.

He said that former prime minister Aerial Sharon’s visit to the area in 1993 was the catalyst of intifada culminating a few years later in the cataclysmic event of 9/11. The latest Trump move would result in a new wave of intifada and spurt a new wave of terrorism.

He asked whether the recently cobbled military alliance of Islamic countries in the name of anti-terrorism would fight this terrorism also. Babar pointed out that Pakistan was faced with a dilemma. It had joined the coalition and allowed a former army chief to command it. The coalition was perceived to be against Iran and Hezbollah, the two formidable opponents of Israel expansionist policies. Pakistan, he said, was thus placed in a situation that continuing to head the coalition would be perceived as opposing anti-Israel forces in the region.

He asked for the withdrawal of Pakistani commander from the coalition to prevent building of this negative perception. He also asked that the prime minister should come to the House and explain policy in this regard.

Taking part in the debate, opposition leader in the Senate Aitzaz Ahsan declared that it was the bad luck of the 21st century and the world that a man like Trump was elected as US president. He said that he was not against the Jews but against Zionism; not against Hindus but against Hindutva; not against Islam but against pan-Islamism, adding there should no bar on anybody to practice whatever he belonged to.

“We must not impose our understanding of Islam on other Muslims, like the cleric, who has been staging a sit-in at Faizabad, declaring no one else is Muslim except those belonging to his school of thought,” Aitzaz said while referring to recent sit-in staged by a hardliner cleric Khadim Rizvi.

Referring to some senators’ proposal for boycotting the US products and stop visiting the country, he said that this would make an impact if all the Muslim countries collectively decided to do so. “What Trump did was aimed at spreading anarchy across the globe,” he charged.

Raja Zafarul Haq called for chalking out a long-term strategy to face such challenges with the help of intellectuals throughout the Muslim world by summoning an international conference. He praised late military dictator Gen Ziaul Haq for rendering great sacrifices to continue the nuclear programme after late Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

The veteran legislator was appreciative of Iran’s policies and said that the Iranians knew how to brave international sanctions and live with dignity and courage. He added they were blessed with faith and the zeal to live with freedom and offer sacrifices for it.

He called upon China to revisit its policy towards Pakistan, as there were concerns about less shares in CPEC to Pakistan. In their fiery speeches, majority of the senators proposed to boycott US products besides tearing US visas allotted to lawmakers in protest against Donald Trump’s decision of recognising Jerusalem as capital of Israel, and shifting US Embassy to the disputed city.

However, MQM Senator Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said that boycotting US products was asking for too much, at least tearing apart the two-year US visas, which the US Embassy has issued to the senators.

PPP Senator Taj Haider called for holding an international conference on the issue of Jerusalem, saying all the peace-loving people including the Americans should be invited to the moot as Trump’s decision did not represent the sentiments of all the people.

He proposed delegations should be dispatched to various countries for moulding public opinion on the matter and said US public could play a decisive role in reversing Trump’s decision. “Americans should be apprised of what game the world military industrial complex is playing,” he noted.

Others, who spoke on the occasion, included Abdul Qayyum, Osman Saifullah, Nihal Hashmi, Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldeni, Javed Abbasi, Saud Majeed, Tahir Hussain Mashhadi, Saeedul Hasan Mandokhail, Ayesha Raza Farooq, Ilay Bilour, Hafiz Hamdullah and Mohsin Aziz. They wanted Pakistan to play its due role in the given situation.

Some senators emphasised that Pakistan should take the proposal of Iran forward, as Iranian President Hasan Rouhani had reportedly offered to restore relations with Saudi Arabia, if it stopped bombing Yemen and sever relations with Israel. Other senators alleged that the Muslim rulers, particularly, the Arabs’ were concerned at safeguarding their power.