Pakistan and 14 Countries Reject US Ambassador’s Statement on Israel
**Islamabad (Qudrat Daily):** Pakistan, along with 13 other Islamic and Arab countries, strongly condemned a recent statement by the US Ambassador to Israel, calling it a blatant violation of international law and the UN Charter.
The joint statement was signed by the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Indonesia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, as well as representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The US Ambassador had suggested that Israeli control over territories belonging to Arab states, including the occupied West Bank, could be “acceptable.” The Islamic countries’ statement described the remarks as dangerous and provocative, emphasizing that such positions undermine regional peace and stability.
Foreign ministers noted that the ambassador’s comments contradicted the comprehensive peace plan presented by former US President Donald J. Trump, which aims to reduce tensions and provide a political pathway for Palestinians to achieve an independent state. They said that statements legitimizing control over another nation’s territory incite conflict rather than promote peace.
The statement reiterated that Israel has no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian lands or any other occupied Arab territories. The ministers strongly rejected annexation attempts in the West Bank or separating it from the Gaza Strip, and they opposed the expansion of Israeli settlements in occupied Palestinian areas.
The statement warned that continued Israeli expansionist policies and illegal measures would fuel violence and conflict in the region, jeopardizing hopes for peace. The ministers called for an immediate cessation of such provocative statements. They reaffirmed the Palestinians’ inalienable right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent state based on the June 4, 1967, borders, insisting on the removal of Israeli occupation from all Arab territories.
