Pakistan rejects Israel’s illegal measures in occupied West Bank: FO

Pakistan on Monday condemned the latest attempt by the Israeli occupying power to convert areas of the occupied West Bank into so-called state property, and to expand illegal settlement activities, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement.

“Such steps are in clear violation of international law as well as relevant United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, and must be rejected by the international community,” the FO said.

It said the occupying power’s continued disregard for the international law and its provocative actions undermine the prospects for a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the region.

The development comes a day after Israel‘s cabinet approves further measures to tighten Israel‘s control over the occupied West Bank and make it easier for settlers to buy land, a move Palestinians called a “de-facto annexation.”

READ MORE: Israeli cabinet approves West Bank land registration

The West Bank is among the territories that Palestinians seek for a future independent state. Much of it is under Israeli military control, with limited Palestinian self-rule in some areas run by the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing an election later this year, deems the establishment of any Palestinian state a security threat.

His ruling coalition, which has a large voter base in the settlements, includes many members who want Israel to annex the West Bank, land captured in the 1967 Middle East war to which Israel cites biblical and historical ties.

Pakistan also called on the international community to take concrete measures to end Israeli impunity, and ensure respect for international law.

The FO said Pakistan reaffirmed full support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and for the establishment of an independent, viable, and contiguous state of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.