Pakistan has strongly condemned Israel’s attempt to extend its so-called ‘autonomy’ to parts of the occupied West Bank.
The reaction came a day after the Israeli parliament (Knesset) gave preliminary approval to a draft law proposing to apply Israeli laws to the occupied West Bank.
Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday approved two bills to annex the occupied West Bank, a development that came at a time when US President Donald Trump recently brokered a peace deal to end the two-year-old Israeli war in Gaza.
The Foreign Office statement said, “Pakistan strongly condemns Israel’s attempts to extend its so-called ‘autonomy’ over parts of the occupied West Bank, including illegal Israeli settlements, through a draft law introduced in the occupying power’s parliament.”
The statement said that these measures are a “blatant violation” of international law, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
The Foreign Office added that “such provocative and illegal measures undermine ongoing efforts to achieve peace and stability in the region.”
Pakistan urged the international community to take “immediate and decisive action” to stop these illegal measures and hold the occupying Israeli forces accountable for their continued violations of international law.
The statement said, “Pakistan reiterates its commitment to work with regional and international partners to protect the rights of the Palestinian people, including their right to self-determination, and to ensure peace, justice and self-respect for the Palestinians.”
The Foreign Ministry also reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause, which includes the establishment of an independent, sovereign, viable and geographically contiguous Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital.
The vote in the Knesset on Wednesday was the first of four steps required for the passage of the law, and the vote came during a visit to Israel by US Vice President J.D. Vance.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party did not support the law, which was introduced by lawmakers outside the government coalition and passed by 24 votes to 25 out of 120 members. Another bill proposed by the opposition, which proposed the annexation of the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, passed by 31 votes to 9.
Netanyahu’s allies have been demanding for years that Israel formally annex parts of the occupied West Bank, which Israel claims historically belongs to it according to the Bible.
Israel says the territories captured in 1967 are not legally “occupied” but disputed, although the United Nations and most of the international community consider them occupied.
Read More: Pakistan strongly condemns Israel’s violation of Gaza peace agreement
In 2024, the UN’s top court ruled that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, and its settlements there are illegal and must be dismantled as soon as possible.
The Palestinian Authority currently exercises limited administrative control over some areas of the occupied West Bank.
US response
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Israel on Wednesday to refrain from annexing the West Bank, saying that the steps taken in parliament and the violence by settlers threaten the Gaza peace agreement.
Marco Rubio said that ‘the president has made it clear that at this time we cannot support any attempt at annexation’.
He added that ‘these steps are dangerous for the peace agreement, of course they are a democratic country, their representatives will give their opinion, but at this time such steps could prove harmful’.
When asked about the increasing violence by Israeli extremist settlers in the occupied West Bank, Marco Rubio said, “We are concerned about anything that could destabilize our efforts.”
However, Marco Rubio expressed optimism about the overall viability of the peace agreement.
“There will be daily threats to the agreement, but I think we are ahead of schedule in terms of moving it forward, and the fact that we have had a good week is a positive sign,” he said.
