By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday condemned Israel’s move to annex parts of the occupied West Bank as a “flagrant violation” of international law, just a week after US President Donald Trump brokered a deal to end a two-year Israeli offensive in Gaza.
The rebuke from Pakistan’s foreign office came a day after Israeli lawmakers voted to advance two bills that would extend Israeli sovereignty over portions of the territory, including settlements widely viewed as illegal under international law. The move has drawn sharp rebukes from around the world, including from the United States, Israel’s staunchest ally, amid concerns that it could unravel fragile efforts toward regional stability.
“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 warned that such provocative measures could undermine ongoing efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region. It urged the international community to take “urgent and decisive action” to stop these steps and hold Israeli forces accountable for “continued violations of international law.”
The Israeli legislation, if enacted, would formalize control over areas that Palestinians claim as part of a future state, a step that has long been opposed by much of the world as contravening United Nations resolutions and the principles of a two-state solution. The timing of the bills has intensified scrutiny, coming on the heels of the Gaza agreement, which Trump has touted as a diplomatic breakthrough. That deal, announced last week, aims to end hostilities in Gaza through a cease-fire and the deployment of an international stabilization force. But the annexation push has complicated Washington’s diplomacy.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Israel against proceeding, telling reporters before departing for Israel that the moves by its parliament, coupled with 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,” Rubio said. “Annexation moves are threatening for the peace deal.”
The United States remains Israel’s primary military and diplomatic backer, providing billions in aid annually. Yet Washington’s attempts to rally Arab and Muslim partners to fund and staff a Gaza stabilization force have encountered resistance, fueled by growing regional anger over the annexation efforts.
Pakistan, a Muslim-majority nation with no formal diplomatic ties to Israel, has consistently supported Palestinian rights and criticized Israeli policies in the occupied territories. Its statement on Thursday echoed broader sentiments in the Muslim world, where the West Bank developments have stirred protests and diplomatic protests. The international backlash underscores the challenges facing the Gaza accord, which was intended to pave the way for reconstruction and humanitarian aid in the devastated enclave.
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