Pakistan urges UNSC not to remain bystander, as Israel kills, starves Palestinians

UNITED NATIONS: Noting that the United Nations General Assembly will hold a Conference in June on the two-State Solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, Pakistan has urged the UN Security Council not to remain a bystander while Palestinians were being slaughtered, maimed and starved.

“The cries from Gaza cannot continue to be met with silence– the world cannot afford another day of inaction,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the 15-member Council on Wednesday.

“History will not absolve us of our responsibility,” he said during a debate in the situation in the Middle East, including the Plestinian question.

The Conference in the 193-member Assembly will take place at the UN headquarters in New York from June 17 to 20, to be co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.

“The sense around the table is clear. The urgent asks are so evident: Ceasefire, release of hostages, humanitarian action and protection of innocent civilians. This is doable,” the Pakistani envoy said in a moving presentation.

“We call on all Council members to come together, to act, through a resolution, to promote the objective – in the immediate term, and to help create an environment conducive for the June Conference, and towards a just and lasting settlement for the Palestinian question.”

He added, “The time for equivocation is over. There is no justification whatsoever for the human suffering of the Palestinian people. Yes, enough is enough.”

“How many more atrocities must be committed before this Council does what is right — morally, legally, and under the UN Charter. Words of concern are no longer enough.

“The time to act, time to prevent genocide, is now.”

Ambassador Asim said, “We must not allow the Israeli atrocities to be normalized – for that would be an affront to international law and human dignity.

He said that the unfolding crisis was a man-made catastrophe driven by Israel’s prolonged blockade, indiscriminate bombardment, and attacks on civilians, noting that over 54,000 Palestinians—mostly women and children—have been killed, and more than 122,000 injured.

The Pakistani envoy described the trauma inflicted on Gaza’s population as “beyond measure, beyond imagination.”

In this regard, he said over 800 medical facilities have been attacked, with hospitals operating without essential supplies and even targeting of ambulances and medical workers.

With at least 57 children already dead from hunger, Ambassador Asim said that starvation is no longer a threat but a grim reality, with humanitarian convoys blocked or attacked.

Over 80 percent of homes destroyed, with widespread damage to water, electricity, and communication networks. “This is deliberate,” he said.

More than 28,000 women and girls have been killed, and 50,000 women are pregnant, with thousands expected to give birth in unsanitary and unsafe conditions.

The Pakistani envoy also highlighted the deteriorating situation in the West Bank, with increasing violence, home demolitions, and restrictions on movement. Additionally, he condemned Israeli officials’ “provocative” visits to Al-Aqsa Mosque, warning of potential regional escalation. He urged the Security Council to take four immediate and decisive steps:

• Full implementation of Resolution 2735 and cessation of all attacks on civilians;
• Unhindered access for humanitarian teams and the immediate removal of all restrictions on aid delivery;
• Condemnation of any attempts to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land, and,
• The international community must work towards a just and lasting peace based on a two-state solution, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of a sovereign Palestinian state.

“This is, without question, one of the gravest humanitarian crises of our time,” Ambassador Asim remarked.