Govt holds multi-party conference on Palestine issue sans PTI

The federal government is hosting a multi-party conference (MPC) for the “unanimous condemnation” of Israel’s atrocities in the Middle East and to observe a year’s passage since the outbreak of catastrophic violence in the Gaza Strip that has killed over 41,900 Palestinians.

The fighting in Gaza was triggered when Hamas fighters entered southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies. More than 100 hostages remain held by Hamas.

Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to the territory’s health ministry, and triggered global condemnation, calls for ceasefire and legal proceedings against Israel in the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

On Friday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave his assurance during a meeting with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Jamaat-i-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman that the government would host a MPC to condemn the Israeli genocide in the Middle East.

The MPC is being held at the President’s House in Islamabad and is being attended by President Asif Ali Zardari, PM Shehbaz, Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani, federal cabinet ministers and senior political leaders, including PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, Bilawal, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Hafiz Naeem, among others.

However, no PTI leaders were in attendance.

President Zardari expressed deep concerns over the growing Israeli adventurism in the region and escalation of tension, calling for the international community’s role to take swift action to restore peace and prevent conflict from spilling over.

The president said that during the last year, the Israeli occupation forces had killed over 41,800 Palestinians, besides destroying infrastructure.

He pointed out that Israel had even expanded its relentless attacks to target Lebanon, Syria and Yemen and endangered regional and global peace and security.

He said that regrettably, the international community had failed to stop Israel from committing genocide against the Palestinian population, specifically in Gaza, and also questioned the prevailing situation of impunity.

President Zardari said that it was crucial for the international community to take swift action to de-escalate the tension and prevent further loss of lives and conflict from spilling over to other parts of the region.

He also emphasised the UN Security Council (UNSC) to fulfil its responsibility of establishing peace and security in Palestine and Lebanon and reiterated Pakistan’s decades-old stance for a two-state solution by establishing an independent Palestine state on the basis of pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.

President Zardari stressed that peace in the Middle East could not be achieved without resolving the Palestine issue in accordance with the UNSC resolutions.

Calling for a total withdrawal of Israeli forces from Palestine, he also asked the UNSC to restrain Israel from violation of international laws to restore peace in the Middle East.

The president reiterated Pakistan’s position of total withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied Arab territories, including Jerusalem and restoring the inalienable right of Palestinian people to self-determination.

Speaking after the president, Nawaz termed the brutal attacks on Palestinians as one of the “worst examples in history” and said everyone was aggrieved by the bloodied pictures on social media coming out of Gaza of children.

He criticised the global community’s silence on the matter, saying that many still did not consider it a human rights issue but framed it as a religious conflict.

“It seems the UN is completely helpless. There is no implementation of its passed resolutions.”

He said Israel was carrying out its actions with stubbornness. uncaring of UN resolutions. “The UN also does not seem to care that it is a very big global body and yet it can’t get its resolution implemented, similar to Kashmir,” Nawaz added.

The PML-N president questioned what was the need for a UN which could not provide justice to the world or stop injustice. He said the sacrifices and spilt blood of Palestinians would bring fruit someday.

Nawaz said Islamic countries should take decisive measures for the issue. “Islamic countries have very big power and if it is not used today then when?”

He said world powers should also think how much longer they would continue to test the patience of the Islamic world and Palestinians with their continued support for Israel.

Nawaz said the government had to fulfil the aspirations of the Pakistani nation regarding the issue of Palestine, adding that adopting silence on the matter would be a “great failure”.

Recounting Israel’s actions and atrocities against the various denizens of the Gaza Strip, Hafiz Naeem termed its activities the “worst action against humanity”, adding that they amounted to “genocide and nothing else”.

He said the gathered political parties should stay insistent on that Israel was committing a genocide, adding that this was proven on international fronts as well.

“I think we need to send a very clear message from this platform: of one free Palestinian state. When we talk about 1967 [borders] or the two-state solution, then it means we are stepping back from our principled position that we consider Israel to be an occupying group and don’t consider it a state.”

Lashing out at Israel’s actions, the JI emir said: “Today the bodies of Palestinian children are burning, tomorrow even our children won’t be safe. Don’t expect anything from these people, they are terrorists.”

He also criticised the United States for its steadfast support of Israel and its own previous military adventurism in Iraq and Afghanistan. “It says that Hamas is a terrorist? Hamas is a legitimate force and Pakistan should at least clearly adopt this stance. It is my demand that there should be an office of Hamas in Pakistan,” Hafiz Naeem added.

He further said that Hamas was a “legitimate democratic force” that was not given rights or its due authority.

Hafiz Naeem reiterated that talking about the two-state solution amounted to providing legitimacy to Israel which was “unacceptable”. “I want to clearly say that our point of view is that we should only talk about a free Palestinian state and not fall into any other controversy,” he reiterated.

More to follow.