Dawn.com | Published October 15, 2023 | Updated about 4 hours ago
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas continued to rage on,
Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Sunday equated Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza and the siege of the territory to conducting genocide against the people of Palestine.
The statement comes after Israel
imposed a “total siege” to stop food and fuel from reaching the enclave of 2.3 million people, many poor and dependent on aid in response to a surprise Hamas offensive last week that left 1,300 Israelis dead, according to officials.
In retaliatory air and artillery strikes, Israeli forces have flattened entire neighbourhoods, hospitals and schools in Gaza. Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip since last week have killed at least 2,215 people, including 724 children, the Palestinian territory’s Hamas-controlled health ministry said on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the minister noted that the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation had called an emergency meeting of its executive committee in Jeddah on October 18, adding that he would be in attendance.
“Certainly, Palestine is a very, very, important issue for us. We will certainly discuss the ongoing situation. There is absolutely no doubt that Israel has committed aggression. They have conducted airstrikes on the civilian population which has resulted in the death of several innocent men, women and children,” he said, adding that Pakistan also condemned the “siege of Gaza”.
Jilani noted that the residents of Gaza did not have access to food, water or health facilities. “This is a situation that can be equated with genocide. Matter of fact it is a genocide being conducted by Israel against the poor people of Palestine.”
He said that Pakistan’s position was that Israel must respect United Nations resolutions which recognised the right of self-determination. “We also feel that this is also the result of seven decades of illegal occupation of […] Palestinian territories.”
He also said that “any attempt to equate Israel, which is an aggressor, with the Palestinian struggle, is unacceptable for Pakistan.” He said that Pakistan demanded that the Palestinian right to self-determination be respected.
He called for recognising Palestine as a separate state with pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. “That remains Pakistan’s consistent position with regards to this particular issue,” he said.
Responding to a question from a reporter, he said that Pakistan was in touch with UN agencies and international organisations to provide humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians.
“Our missions in Geneva and New York are also in touch with the UN agencies concerned. But unfortunately, so far there is a complete siege as far as Gaza is concerned,” he said.
He said that Pakistan was ready to provide immediate aid and was also in touch with Egyptian authorities. “We have been told only this morning that Israel is not allowing any assistance as of now. But this is something that we, along with OIC member countries and the international community, would make a very forceful case for the early provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine,” he said.
Responding to another question, Jilani said there was “absolutely no change in Pakistan’s position with regard to Israel”. He said that Pakistan’s position would continue until the people of Palestine were given the right of self-determination.
