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Madam President,
My salutations to you for convening this important meeting. I would like to thank Mr. Lynn Pascoe for his valuable insight, but unfortunately what we are looking for would be some thing new to work with have not been forthcoming.
At the outset I would like to associates myself with the statement made by the Egyptian Ambassador on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Ambassador of Tajikistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.
Madam President,
The situation in the Middle East remains as old as the UN. It has been debated in the Security Council for many years and we have passed countless Resolutions and Presidential Statements calling for its settlement. This settlement even today eludes us and the plight of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Territories under conflict and violence remains unfortunate.
We are now into the seventh decade of our collective failure to enforce peace in the Middle East. Of course, this calls for a collective action to facilitate a long term political settlement, which must create a viable Palestinian State. We may prioritize this action into two areas:
Firstly, we must unequivocally call upon Israel to end the repressive policies of its occupying forces. Repressive, because these have converted the Palestinian land into a myriad of check-points, road-blocks, military siege and separation walls. The Middle East Quartet statement of 21 June 2010 has called the blockade of Gaza as ‘unsustainable, unacceptable and not in the interest of any of those concerned”. That is the key point and we are thinking of both the sides. The recent measures by Israel to ease the blockade of Gaza is what is unfortunately categorized as too little and far too late to work with. The outside world and the freedom-loving people of the world find this unacceptable. The situation in Occupied Jerusalem and rest of the West Bank is not different either. Illegal separation wall, settlements and check posts have also blocked the integrity and unity of this age-old city. The city where I may add that the Muslim Turk Sultans, invited the much troubled Spanish diasporas of the Jewish nation to return and take a seat in the Council of Jerusalem, so they could participate in the working of Jerusalem and this remains something outside the purview of the recent and current Muslims of that city.
Secondly, the continuation in settlement activity must end. It is only considered contrary to the international law and departure from concurrent pledges made by Israel from time to time on the issue. Again this settlement activity is seen by much of the international community as a way and means for a major provocation. And settlement activity in recent times is of numerous patterns. More worrying trend is in and around East Jerusalem where the status of centuries-old prayer places mosques, churches and cemeteries of the Palestinian people is being altered in the name of excavation and creating new housing space. I would say proudly here at the moment when the last Jew resident left my city of Karachi in Pakistan and sold the Synagogue for a condominium. Lot of us got together, stood up and protected, until today, the Jewish cemetery in Karachi and ensured that none of us ever violate it. Nobody has asked us to do this. We feel a commitment to do this.
Only last Tuesday, Israel destroyed at least six Palestinian buildings in East Jerusalem. This is violence perpetrated and it continues also with the encouragement from some of the most enthusiastic settlers who continue without check or culpability of offense. Recent self-imposed hiatus in settlement activity by Israel, ending in September, and this is hardly helping the cause of peace in the region. The threat of settlements itself continues to cast a shadow on any meaningful peace process.
Madam President,
The miserable plight of the Palestinian people must end. The world cannot be a bystander to their miseries. Many international experts of the region have noted that the constituency of peace among the Palestinian population is constantly shrinking. It is being pointed out that more and more Palestinian see little justification in pursuing unequal peace with an unequal partner. The present Israeli policies of blockades, separation walls and check posts can lead to imprisonment of the entire Palestinian population as when it may so deem necessary. This continues to kill the peace process as peace cannot be achieved between a prison-guard and a prisoner. Israel must seize the fleeting opportunity of peace and convert the ongoing proximity talks into direct and meaningful negotiations, with the aim of reaching a two-States solution.
I will also take this opportunity to express our concern on lack of credible independent investigations of Israeli aggression against the Freedom Flotilla in International Waters of the Mediterranean Sea. These people had embarked on a noble Mission and beyond what is all been said this Flotilla could have been escorted into an area where it could have disembarked peacefully and peacefully given up the goods that have been brought on aboard and we have no doubts on the humanitarian mission of this aid convoy or cast aspersions on its noble intentions, is misleading. I believe that the Turkish people who where most affected have been the friends of Israel in the Muslim world and have worked hard to try to break this impossible impasse and for them to suffer such a consequence. In my mind this is unfortunate, and not to say the least, not in the interest of friends who tried to be helpful. It is very simple thing, power knows no limitations. Power alone itself must not be the end the all means. It should be considered in a civilized world, it must be put in a way that is beneficial and not destructive.
I conclude by reiterating Pakistan’s support for a lasting peace for the Arabs, for the Israeli and all inhabitants of the region and our strong commitment for the realization of an independent, sovereign and viable State of Palestine with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, living peacefully side-by-side and in peace with all its neighbours. We hope despite its repetition this Council will bring us nearer to this objective.
I thank you.