Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), Zaman Mehdi, the deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, strongly criticized Israel for its actions during the ongoing conflict with the Hamas group.
Mehdi, speaking on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), expressed deep distress at what he referred to as the "so-called declaration of war" and the attacks on the civilian population and their properties. He also emphasized the ongoing concern regarding the human toll of the escalating situation.
He pointed out that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had declared a 'state of war' on October 7 in response to Hamas launching approximately 5,000 rockets from Gaza, marking one of the most significant attacks on Israel in years.
During his address, Mehdi requested a moment of silence from the UNHRC members to commemorate the lives lost in "the occupied Palestinian territory and elsewhere." He appealed to the assembly to observe a one-minute silence as a mark of respect for innocent lives, including women, children, and the elderly. He underscored that it was also an opportunity to remember the victims of decades of foreign occupation in the occupied Palestinian territory.
Highlighting Pakistan's support for Palestine, Mehdi characterized the ongoing conflict as a "sad reminder" of more than seven decades of illegal foreign occupation, aggression, and disregard for international law, including United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. He stressed that efforts to normalize and perpetuate this illegal foreign occupation were fueling violence in the region.
Furthermore, Mehdi called for the implementation of the two-state solution as a means of resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict. He urged immediate steps to realize the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people and to achieve a just two-state solution based on the borders of June 4th, 1967, with East Jerusalem designated as the capital of the state of Palestine.
Â
