Pakistan always stood with Palestinians: Caretaker FM

ISLAMABAD (INP): Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani says Pakistan has always stood with Palestinian brothers and sisters and will continue to do so.

In a tweet on Monday, the Foreign Minister said in his statement at UN General Assembly, he renewed Pakistan’s call for an independent State of Palestine, based on pre-67 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani Foreign Minister has reaffirmed support for an independent Palestinian state, saying that it was in the South Asian country’s “national interest”, and decision regarding establishing ties with Israel would be gauged in light of Pakistan’s national interests and those of the Palestinian brothers.

Jalali Jilani’s comment came a day after he had reportedly said any decision to establish bilateral relations with Israel would hinge on the nation’s own interests and the well-being of the Palestinian people. Pakistani FM’s statement also follows Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Eli Cohen’s remarks from last week in which Cohen indicated he had met leaders of several Islamic nations in recent days who were likely to forge diplomatic ties with Israel soon.

Pakistan does not recognize the state of Israel and has repeatedly called for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally-agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.

In a post uploaded on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Jilani said “In my statement at UNGA, I renewed Pakistan’s call for an independent State of Palestine, based on pre-67 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as capital.” The caretaker foreign minister said: “This is in our national interest.”

The foreign minister was responding to a comment by a journalist who sought clarification on whether Pakistan was considering recognizing the state of Israel.

Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar also advocated for a two-state solution as a path to enduring peace in Palestine during his United Nations General Assembly speech on Friday. He reiterated Pakistan’s position on the matter, calling for the “establishment of a viable and contiguous Palestinian state within the pre-June 1967 borders with Al-Quds as its capital.” Kakar also criticized Israeli military raids against Palestinians and its expansion of settlements in the Occupied Territories.

Israeli FM Cohen, as reported by Israeli media outlet Kan News, suggested that “six or seven” Islamic nations were likely to normalise ties with Israel, following Saudi Arabia’s potential inclusion in the Abraham Accords, which already involved the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.

The Israeli minister also claimed to have met with leaders from several Muslim countries who have not recognised Israel yet.

US President Biden has been pushing for landmark deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman told Fox News recently that his country was in talks with Israel, dismissing reports that process was suspended. Saudi crown prince says getting ‘closer’ to Israel normalization.