Islamuddin Sajid
09 May 2026•Update: 09 May 2026
Pakistan warned the UN Security Council on Friday that expanding Israeli settlements and annexation measures in the occupied West Bank are destroying the prospects for a viable Palestinian state and urged “influential” nations to hold Israel accountable.
Speaking at the Council meeting on the West Bank, convened by the United Kingdom, France, and other Council members, Pakistani Ambassador to the UN Asim Iftikhar Ahmad condemned Israel’s efforts to transform “de facto annexation into de jure control” through new legislative and administrative measures.
"The systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, expansion of illegal settlements, demolitions, land seizures, and forced displacement of Palestinians continue unabated, and this requires our attention," he said. "Israeli policies and illegal actions, unprecedented in scale and impact, are undermining the prospects for a viable Palestinian state."
Ahmad said recent Israeli actions, including land confiscation mechanisms and expanded settlement authority, violated international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention. He urged the immediate reversal of the policies.
The ambassador said settlement expansion has accelerated sharply in recent years, noting that Israel has approved 102 new settlements in nearly four years.
He also criticized the controversial E-1 settlement project near East Jerusalem, warning that it will make a geographically contiguous Palestinian state impossible.
Pakistan also expressed alarm about rising violence by occupiers, citing UN data showing 2025 recorded the highest number of occupiers' attacks against Palestinians since documentation began in 2006.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s support for a two-state solution, he said lasting peace required ending Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The meeting was organized by the Permanent Missions of Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, and the UK to provide Security Council members with an opportunity to hear testimony on the challenges affecting Palestinians living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
