The UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday adopted a resolution calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied Palestinian territory, with Pakistan, which voted in favour of the text, reiterating that Palestinians must be allowed to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination. The resolution, titled \u2018Peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine\u2019, was adopted with 151 countries voting in favour, 11 voting against and 11 abstaining, according to the summary posted by the UN. According to the summary, the UNGA, through the resolution, \u201cstressed the need for urgent, collective efforts to launch credible negotiations on all final status issues in the Middle East peace process and called for the timely convening of an international conference in Moscow \u2014 as envisioned by Security Council resolution 1850 (2008) \u2014 to advance a just, lasting and comprehensive peace settlement\u201d. \u201cThe Assembly also called on both parties to act responsibly, urgently reverse negative trends and create the conditions necessary for a credible political horizon and the advancement of peace efforts,\u201d it said. It also called on Israel to \u201ccomply strictly with its international law obligations, including by ending its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, ceasing all new settlement activities and evacuating all settlers from the occupied Palestinian territory\u201d. Addressing Israel\u2019s presence in the West Bank, the UNGA \u201crejected any attempt at demographic or territorial change in Gaza and stressed the importance of unifying the strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority without delay\u201d. \u201cAdditionally, the Assembly called for Israel\u2019s withdrawal from the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, the realisation of the Palestinian people\u2019s inalienable rights \u2014 primarily the right to self-determination \u2014 and a just resolution of the problem of Palestinian refugees,\u201d it said. Speaking during the UNGA debate, Pakistan\u2019s Permanent Representative to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmed said, \u201cToday\u2019s resolution is more than a statement of principle. It is a reminder that the world must now turn promises into action.\u201d Calling for the realisation of an independent Palestinian state, Ambassador Iftikhar said, \u201cPakistan\u2019s solidarity with the Palestinian people is steadfast, and we stand with them in their legitimate struggle for dignity, justice and self-determination.\u201d He further said that voting in favour of the resolution reflected Pakistan\u2019s \u201clong-standing and principled position on this matter\u201d. The UN envoy further said that the momentum generated at Sharm El-Sheikh, where the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas was signed, must be sustained, particularly by advancing Palestinian-led governance, reconstruction and institution building, emphasising the role of the Palestinian Authority as \u201ccentral\u201d. \u201cPeace cannot be shaped without the direct involvement and ownership of the Palestinian people,\u201d he stressed. He further said that the Gaza ceasefire must be \u201cimplemented fully, with no unilateral actions or military activity\u201d, calling for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. He added that full humanitarian access should also be guaranteed to the Palestinian enclave. \u201cWith winter approaching and large parts of Gaza destroyed, the population needs sustained life-saving assistance. \u201cAny obstruction of aid violates international humanitarian law and must not be allowed under any pretext,\u201d he said, adding that reconstruction of the ravaged Gaza Strip should begin without delay. He said that there must be no annexation, no forced displacement, and no division of occupied lands, adding that Gaza\u2019s territorial integrity and its contiguity with the West Bank were fundamental to a viable, sovereign and independent Palestinian state. He further said that all settlement activity should stop. \u201cEfforts to change the demographic or legal character of the occupied territories, including around Al-Haram Al-Sharif, are illegal and must end,\u201d he said. He added that in order to \u201cbreak the cycle of violence\u201d, it was necessary to end the Israeli occupation of all Arab territories, including in Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. \u201cThe imperative of a political horizon \u2014 a credible, time-bound political process anchored in relevant UN resolutions, leading to a sovereign, independent and contiguous State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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