Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar emphasized the importance of the Muslim Ummah uniting to firmly reject any efforts to forcibly relocate Palestinians, whether from Gaza or the West Bank, calling such actions ethnic cleansing and a war crime under international law.
Speaking at the Extraordinary Session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Dar stressed that no external force has the right to determine the future of Palestinians. He called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to stand united against any plans that aim to alter the demographics of the occupied Palestinian territories.
In his address, Dar presented Pakistan’s urgent recommendations for peace, which included immediate implementation of the three-phase ceasefire agreement, focusing on permanent cessation of hostilities, complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, unrestricted humanitarian access, and a comprehensive reconstruction plan. Pakistan also fully supported the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2735 (2024).
Dar condemned Israeli aggression in the West Bank, highlighting the destruction of refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarem, Nur al-Shams, and El Far’a, noting that these actions mirrored the devastation in Gaza. He called for the reversal of forced displacements, illegal land annexations, and settler violence in line with UN Security Council Resolutions 2720 (2024) and 2334 (2016). He also urged the preservation of the legal and historical status of Al-Haram Al-Sharif/Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Additionally, Dar called for expanded and unhindered humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people, with the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) allowed to operate freely. He stressed that Israel had a legal obligation under Article 2 (5) of the UN Charter to facilitate the work of humanitarian agencies. The deliberate targeting of aid agencies, he noted, is a violation of international law and a moral outrage.
The Deputy Prime Minister further stated that the forced displacement of Palestinians must be treated as a “red line,” and that the OIC must block any efforts to relocate Palestinians, whether through coercion or under the guise of humanitarian aid. Such actions, he warned, would constitute ethnic cleansing and violate international law.
Finally, Dar emphasized the need for a credible and irreversible political process toward a two-state solution, leading to the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
