United nations: Pakistan has called for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803 during the quarterly debate on the Middle East, urging unhindered humanitarian aid in war-shattered Gaza, a lasting ceasefire, and a time-bound political path to Palestinian statehood.
“While the (2025) ceasefire and (US) President (Donald) Trump’s Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict have provided an important opportunity to alleviate humanitarian suffering and advance a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood, delays in full implementation of these efforts require urgent attention,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, told the 15-member Council.
“It is imperative to uphold the commitments reflected in the Peace Plan and Security Council resolution 2803 that endorsed it,” he said, warning that “failure to act now risks irreparably undermining the prospects for a just and lasting peace.”
Tuesday’s meeting was organized by the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Council’s president for the month of July.
It took place amid mounting regional tensions as the US-Iran war continues and a rising number of Israeli attacks are threatening Gaza’s fragile October ceasefire that ended two years of war with Hamas in which tens of thousands of Palestinians men, women and children were killed.
The Pakistani envoy expressed “grave concern” over continued Israeli settlement expansion, the establishment of new settlement outposts, and increased incidents of settler violence that alter the demographic and geographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
In this context, Ambassador Asim Ahmad cited the so- called ‘Crimson Thread’ project, a planned 500-kilometere network of walls and military roads bisecting the Jordan valley, as these efforts to isolate Palestinian communities and sever the Jordan Valley from the rest of the West Bank undermine the viability and territorial contiguity of a future Palestinian State.
The ceasefire and the implementation of elements of the Peace Plan have yielded some improvements in Gaza, but 59 percent of the population still faces crisis-level food insecurity, he said, pointing out that over 1,100 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire. “That calls into question the full and faithful implementation of the Plan,” the Pakistani envoy stressed.
“Nearly two million people remain confined to just 30 percent of Gaza’s territory, enduring catastrophic living conditions,” he told the Council, noting reports of a massive earthen barrier being constructed across Gaza that entrenches Israeli occupation and control over nearly 70 percent of the territory.
In this regard, Ambassador Asim Ahmad demanded an immediate halt to all settlement activities and reject any attempts at annexation, forced displacement, or alteration of the demographic and geographic character of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in accordance with relevant UNSC resolutions.
He also called for ensuring international protection for the Palestinian people, as also urged by Palestinian President Mehmood Abbas in his recent letter, and hold accountable those responsible for crimes and violations committed against civilians, and securing the immediate, unconditional release of withheld Palestinian revenues, to enable the Palestinian Authority to continue delivering essential public services
“The only credible path to a just and lasting peace is the establishment of an independent, sovereign, contiguous and viable State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”
In the broader context, he said, Pakistan continues to follow with deep concern the recent developments that are further escalating regional tensions, and reiterates its strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all brotherly countries in the region, and urges all sides to exercise restraint, take immediate steps towards de-escalation and uphold respective commitments under the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.
On its part, he said Pakistan remains committed to providing all support towards achieving lasting peace and stability in the region through dialogue and diplomacy.
In Lebanon, the Pakistani envoy said, the full implementation of Resolution 1701 remains essential for achieving lasting peace and stability. Pakistan, he said, appreciates the diplomatic efforts led by the U.S. to consolidate the cessation of hostilities and advance a durable peace in Lebanon.
Pakistan, he said, supports a Yemeni-led and Yemeni-owned political process for comprehensive and lasting peace in Yemen, and condemns attacks against Saudi Arabia and all attacks against commercial shipping, which threaten global trade and regional security.
“Pakistan is deeply concerned over attempts to drag the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into the conflict in the Middle East and reiterates its unwavering support for the security, sovereignty, territorial integrity and prosperity of the brotherly Kingdom.”
Briefing the Council, Ramiz Alakbarov, Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said that the situation in the West Bank was “rapidly deteriorating, with escalation increasingly likely unless immediate steps are taken to reverse course.
‘The Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict and Security Council resolution 2803 (2025) must be implemented in full,’ he stressed.
In Gaza, Alakbarov, described progress in clearing solid waste from key areas and coordinating the entry of sanitation equipment and supplies ‘highly insufficient’ given the immense needs.
Among them, he pointed to displacement, overcrowded living conditions, widespread destruction and near-daily casualties caused by Israeli military operations.
‘Human dignity should not be conditional,’ Alakbarov insisted.
He called for accelerating the transition to early recovery by restoring livelihoods, rehabilitating essential infrastructure, providing dignified shelter and supporting Palestinian institutions.
