The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday adopted a resolution calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied Palestinian territory, and Pakistan, which voted in favor of the text, reiterated that Palestinians must be allowed to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination.
The resolution, titled “Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine,” was adopted with 151 countries voting in favor, 11 against and 11 abstentions, according to the summary published by the UN.
According to the summary, the United Nations General Assembly, through the resolution, “underlined the need for urgent collective efforts to initiate credible negotiations on all final status issues in the Middle East peace process and called for the timely convening of an international conference in Moscow, as provided for in Security Council resolution 1850 (2008), to promote a just, lasting and comprehensive peace agreement.”
“The Assembly also called on both parties to act responsibly, urgently reverse negative trends and create the necessary conditions for a credible political horizon and the advancement of peace efforts,” he said.
It also urged Israel to “strictly comply with its obligations under international law, including by ending its illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, ceasing all new settlement activities, and evacuating all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Addressing Israel’s presence in the West Bank, the United Nations General Assembly “rejected any attempt at demographic or territorial change in Gaza and stressed the importance of promptly unifying the strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.”
“In addition, the Assembly called for Israel’s withdrawal from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, the realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people – primarily the right to self-determination – and a just resolution of the Palestinian refugee problem,” he said.
World must turn promises into actions, says Pakistan’s UN envoy
During the United Nations General Assembly debate, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said: “Today’s resolution is more than a statement of principles. It is a reminder that the world must now turn promises into actions.”
Calling for the realization of an independent Palestinian state, Ambassador Iftikhar said: “Pakistan’s solidarity with the Palestinian people is firm and we stand with them in their legitimate struggle for dignity, justice and self-determination.”
He further said that voting in favor of the resolution reflected Pakistan’s “principled and long-standing position on this matter.”
The UN envoy further said that the momentum generated in Sharm El-Sheikh, where the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was signed, must be maintained, particularly by boosting Palestinian-led governance, reconstruction and institutional development, emphasizing the role of the Palestinian Authority as “central.”
“Peace cannot be forged without the direct participation and ownership of the Palestinian people,” he stressed.
He also said that the ceasefire in Gaza must “be fully implemented, without unilateral actions or military activity,” and called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
He added that full humanitarian access to the Palestinian enclave must also be guaranteed.
“As winter approaches and large areas of Gaza are destroyed, people need sustained assistance to save lives.
“Any obstruction of aid violates international humanitarian law and should not be allowed under any pretext,” he said, adding that reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip must begin without delay.
He said there should be no annexation, forced displacement or division of occupied lands, adding that the territorial integrity of Gaza and its contiguity with the West Bank were fundamental to a viable, sovereign and independent Palestinian state.
He further said that all settlement activity should cease.
“Efforts to change the demographic or legal character of the occupied territories, including around Al-Haram Al-Sharif, are illegal and must stop,” he said.
He added that to “break the cycle of violence” it was necessary to end the Israeli occupation of all Arab territories, including Palestine, Syria and Lebanon.
“The imperative of a political horizon: a credible, time-bound political process anchored in relevant UN resolutions, leading to a sovereign, independent and contiguous State of Palestine based on the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” he said.
