Israel’s ongoing war against people of Occupied Palestinian Territory is manifestly engulfing the whole region: Ishaq Dar

JEDDAH, Aug 7 (SABAH): Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar has said that their sincere appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, the Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for facilitating this important meeting in Jeddah at the urgent call of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Palestine.

“I also thank the OIC Secretariat, in particular the Secretary-General, for the preparations they have made for the meeting of the Executive Committee at such short notice”, he said.

“We are meeting at a time when the threat of a wider conflagration in the Middle East and beyond is ticking louder. This is a critical moment in the history of the Middle East and the Muslim world. Israel’s ongoing war against the people of the Occupied Palestinian Territory is manifestly engulfing the whole region,” he added.

“The tragic assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, where he was a guest, has surely escalated the tensions. No amount of words are enough to condemn this horrendous act. Potential consequences and implications of this are grave and catastrophic. Make no mistake, if today it is Iran, tomorrow it could be another OIC country facing a similar act of international terrorism, extra-territorial killing on its soil, and/or cold-blooded violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.

“What Israel is doing – with unprecedented impunity and undeniable barbarity – is more than just adventurism; it is pure madness, it is akin to knowingly and deliberately throwing a light at a powder keg. We fully understand the determination of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Palestinian people to respond to and avenge the provocative and criminal assassinations by Israel and the flagrant violation of international law,” he noted.

“While such grave action must be avenged, we must not fulfill Netanyahu’s design for a wider war. Before I move on, let me share with you that the Government of Pakistan observed a day of mourning on 2 August 2024. Additionally, on the same day, the National Assembly of Pakistan unanimously passed a strongly-worded resolution condemning the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh as well as the ongoing Israeli atrocities on Palestinians over the past nine months,” he noted.

He said “We all know the heart-wrenching details of what is happening in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, especially Gaza, for the past nine months. That 40,000 innocent Palestinians, mostly children and women, have been mercilessly martyred by Israel’s war machine, continues to weigh heavily on our collective conscience. While the streets of the Occupied Territory are already red with Palestinian blood, Israel is continuing with its vile agenda and its murderous campaign without let-up.”

He said, “Employing starvation as a tool of warfare in Gaza, Israel is making a mockery of humanity, of international norms, and of international law. It has wilfully targeted and destroyed civilian infrastructure, homes, schools, hospitals, aid convoys, and humanitarian shelters. The naked cruelty of the oppressor is such that even humanitarian supplies and life-saving assistance have been impeded.The ICJ has termed the situation as “plausible genocide”. We can all see that it is genocide. The overwhelming demand for a ceasefire – by the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – has been repeatedly subverted by the Israeli leadership.”

“Clearly, extremist Israeli leaders want to prolong and expand the war to ensure their own political survival, perpetuate Israeli occupation and prevent a two state solution. The oppressor (Israel) is acting as if it has total freedom to break and bend the (international) law and norms at liberty. Can any sane mind, any conscionable nation, any responsible government or state condone or turn a blind eye to what Israel has done and continues to do? Absolutely not!”, he said.

Dar said “Israel has caused irreparable damage to the already fragile and volatile Middle East. We have seen this region divested in the past as well on one pretext or another – including geopolitics and the war against terrorism. Can we sustain another protracted crisis? Absolutely not! Can we let the OIC region become a chessboard for others to play their power games and decide the fate of our peoples? Absolutely Not! Let us be mindful that as the situation in the Middle East is worsening, our people, especially our youth back home, are asking questions and they have high expectations of the OIC. They deserve peace not war, stability not turmoil, and prosperity not deprivation.”

He said, “The Muslim Ummah is at a crossroads – yet again. We all will be judged by how we choose to deal with the oppressor. Clearly, condemnation alone is not enough to stop and hold Israel accountable. It has not worked in the past and there is no reason to expect a different outcome this time. What we need is unwavering political will, complete unity, and concrete steps to effectively address the situation at hand.”

He said, “While sending out a clear message of solidarity with Palestine and Iran, OIC must do all it can to prevent further escalation of tensions and violence in the region; to facilitate complete, durable and unconditional ceasefire in the Occupied Territory. We should make it clear: if the Israeli leadership continues to subvert the legally binding demand for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the entire OIC membership would take several collective measures in response, including imposition of trade and oil sanctions, to enhance the provision of humanitarian assistance to the beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza and meet their needs for food, medicines, energy and other essential supplies. The control of the Rafah crossing should be handed back to Egypt. All other access points of supply to Gaza should be opened. All UN and international agencies, including UNRWA, should be allowed to operate fully in Gaza; To consider acceleration of the OIC proposal for the creation of an appropriate UN or international protection force to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance and protection against Israeli atrocities for the people of Gaza and the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem; To demand the earliest withdrawal of Israel from Gaza and the commencement of its reconstruction, as envisaged in the plan approved by the Security Council; and to initiate the establishment of an international judicial mechanism, which would seek “restitution, damages and satisfaction” from Israel for its crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide in Gaza and hold accountable those responsible for these crimes.”

“Finally, we are heartened by several developments: the declaration of unity adopted by all Palestinian groups in Beijing; the unity displayed by the Islamic countries in this grave crisis; the growing global support for the just cause of the Palestinian people; and the clear and concrete conclusions of the ICJ in its Advisory Opinion on Palestine. We must initiate further actions to build on these developments including actions by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council in accordance with the ICJ’s opinion.We must rapidly secure Palestine’s admission as a full member of the United Nations. We must urgently commence the political and diplomatic process to establish the two State solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State within the pre-1967 borders with Al Quds Al Sharif as its capital. We will remain steadfast in our support for our Palestinian brothers and sisters in their just struggle for self-determination. As Pakistan prepares to take its seat on 1st January 2025 at the UNSC for the two-year term 2025-2026, it would be among our top priorities to advance global peace, including mobilizing political and diplomatic support for addressing long standing disputes and conflicts, especially the Palestinian issue and the Jammu & Kashmir dispute,” he added.