ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) on Friday condemned Israel’s ongoing legislative and administrative measures to entrench its illegal occupation of the West Bank, calling for their immediate reversal.
The statement by Pakistan’s UN envoy Asim Iftikhar Ahmad came at a UN meeting convened by the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Greece and Latvia, where officials briefed members about the situation in the West Bank.
While international attention is consumed by multiple crises across the region, the systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, expansion of illegal settlements, demolitions, land seizures and forced displacement of Palestinians continue unabated, according to the Pakistani envoy.
Israel’s recent decisions granting expanded administrative authority over occupied territory, including land registration and confiscation mechanisms, constitute a grave violation of international law as well as the Comprehensive Plan to End Gaza conflict.
“These actions must be reversed immediately,” Ahmad said. “The international community, especially those with influence over Israel must ensure accountability, compliance with international obligations, and implementation of relevant UN resolutions.”
In nearly four years, Israel has approved 102 new settlements, nearly doubling the 127 settlements that existed previously. These measures are deliberately designed to permanently alter and establish facts on the ground, according to Ahmad.
At the same time, settler violence is escalating at an unprecedented rate. In 2025, the UN recorded the highest number of settler-related attacks against Palestinians since systematic documentation began in 2006.
“All settler violence and settlement activities must cease, in full compliance with international law,” he said. “Pakistan reiterates that the only viable path to a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East lies in ending the illegal Israeli occupation of all Arab territories and realizing the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.”
