https://arab.news/vpkkh
- Pakistan urges international community to act after Israel advances bills to annex parts of the West Bank
- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned annexation, settler violence could undermine Gaza peace deal
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday condemned Israel’s move to annex the occupied West Bank, calling it a “flagrant violation” of international law, barely a week after US President Donald Trump pushed through a deal aimed at ending a two-year Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli lawmakers voted on Wednesday to advance two bills to extend Israeli sovereignty over parts of the occupied territory, prompting a wave of international criticism, including from Washington, a longtime ally of Israel.
Pakistan’s foreign office urged the global community to play its role in halting the “illegal actions” by the Israeli administration.
“Pakistan strongly condemns Israel’s attempt to extend its so-called ‘sovereignty’ over parts of the Occupied West Bank, including illegal Israeli settlements, through a draft law introduced in the legislature of the occupying power,” the foreign office said in a statement. “These actions constitute a flagrant violation of international law, relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.”
The statement said such provocative measures could undermine ongoing efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.
It called on the international community to take “urgent and decisive action” to stop these steps and hold Israeli forces accountable for “continued violations of international law.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also warned Israel against pursuing annexation, saying moves by its parliament and rising settler violence in the West Bank threatened the fragile Gaza peace deal.
“I think the president [Trump] has made clear that’s not something we can be supportive of right now,” he told reporters before departing for Israel.
“Annexation moves are threatening for the peace deal.”
The US remains Israel’s primary military and diplomatic backer, but Washington’s efforts to rally Arab and Muslim partners to fund and staff a Gaza stabilization force have faced pushback amid growing regional anger over annexation efforts.
With input from AFP