Pakistan Raises Alarm at UN Over West Bank Annexation
Pakistan has warned at the United Nations that Israel’s expanding control over the occupied West Bank is pushing the region further away from any viable political settlement. The concern was raised by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, during an Arria-formula meeting focused on the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The Pakistani envoy said the international community must not allow the West Bank crisis to be overshadowed by other conflicts in the Middle East. He pointed to illegal settlement expansion, home demolitions, land seizures and the forced displacement of Palestinians as developments that require urgent global attention.
Ambassador Ahmad argued that Israel’s legislative and administrative moves were deepening occupation and converting effective control into formal annexation. Pakistan said such actions violate international law, including obligations linked to the Fourth Geneva Convention, and undermine the international framework for a two-state solution.
In his remarks, the envoy urged countries with influence over Israel to act decisively and ensure accountability. He said settlement activity and settler violence must stop in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions, while warning that the pace of annexation had created an immediate need for intervention.
Pakistan also highlighted the scale of settlement expansion in recent years. According to the envoy, Israel has approved more than 100 new settlements in nearly four years, while projects such as E-1 and thousands of planned housing units east of Jerusalem threaten to divide the West Bank and make a contiguous Palestinian state increasingly difficult to achieve.
The statement also focused on the worsening economic and humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory. Pakistan said Israel’s withholding of Palestinian tax revenues had intensified fiscal pressure on the Palestinian Authority, weakening its ability to deliver basic public services at a time when Palestinian institutions remain central to any future peace process.
Pakistan’s position reflects its long-standing support for Palestinian self-determination and a negotiated settlement based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of an independent Palestinian state. Islamabad has consistently raised the Palestine issue at the UN, the OIC and other international forums.
The latest intervention comes as Middle East tensions continue to influence Pakistan’s diplomacy, public debate and foreign-policy priorities. For Pakistan, the Palestinian issue carries political, religious and humanitarian significance, while also shaping its engagement with Muslim-majority countries and international institutions.
The next phase will depend on whether the UN Security Council, regional powers and influential Western governments move beyond statements and apply pressure to halt settlement expansion. Pakistan is expected to continue using multilateral platforms to call for compliance with international law and renewed focus on a just and durable Palestinian settlement.