By The South Asia Times

UNITED NATIONS -  Pakistan has called on the United Nations Security Council to take urgent action to halt Israeli settlement expansion, end what it described as the illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, and ensure accountability for alleged violations of international law, warning that prospects for a two-state solution are rapidly diminishing.

Addressing a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said conditions across the occupied Palestinian territories remained "dire" and showed "no sign of abating."

Speaking after briefings by UN officials and civil society representatives, the Pakistani envoy said the Council had repeatedly expressed concern over alleged violations of international law but had failed to stop developments on the ground.

"The situation across the Occupied Palestinian Territory remains dire and shows no sign of abating," Ahmad told the 15-member Council.

He argued that the expansion of Israeli settlements, settler violence, demolitions, forced evictions and the withholding of Palestinian Authority revenues were part of what he described as a "deliberate and systemic pattern" aimed at entrenching Israel's occupation.

"This is not chaos; it is a calculated framework to entrench illegal Israeli occupation," he said.

Ahmad pointed to findings contained in the latest report by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, saying the occupied West Bank was experiencing its largest and deadliest wave of settlement expansion in recent years.

According to the report cited by Pakistan, 4,750 housing units were advanced or approved during the reporting period, including approval for 34 settlements in a single Israeli cabinet decision.

The Pakistani envoy also criticized Israel's online land registration system in Area C of the occupied West Bank, alleging that it facilitates the transfer of Palestinian-owned land, and warned that the controversial E-1 settlement project would fragment the West Bank and undermine the viability of a future Palestinian state.

He further accused Israel of exacerbating the financial crisis facing the Palestinian Authority by withholding tax revenues collected on its behalf.

- Gaza humanitarian crisis

Turning to Gaza, Ahmad said humanitarian conditions remained catastrophic despite improvements brought about by the current ceasefire arrangements.

He said widespread hunger, shortages of clean drinking water, limited access to healthcare, poor sanitation and disease outbreaks continued to affect civilians, with more than 90 percent of Gaza's population living in what he described as catastrophic conditions.

The ambassador also cited findings of a recent report by an independent UN commission of inquiry, saying it documented the killing of Palestinian civilians, including children, during the conflict.

"There must be accountability for this," he said.

- Four demands to the Security Council

Pakistan called on the Security Council to adopt a more comprehensive approach toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, arguing that piecemeal measures would not achieve lasting peace.

Ahmad outlined four priorities for the Council:

• Immediately halt all Israeli settlement activities, which Pakistan says violate international law.
• End annexation efforts, demolitions, forced evictions and displacement of Palestinians, while ensuring accountability for settler violence.
• Press Israel to release withheld Palestinian Authority revenues to ease the territory's fiscal crisis.
• Fully implement the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict and UN Security Council Resolution 2803.

- Support for Palestinian statehood

The Pakistani envoy reaffirmed Islamabad's support for an independent Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

He said diplomatic initiatives endorsed by the UN General Assembly, together with international peace efforts supported by the United States and Arab and Islamic countries, should be translated into concrete action, including a permanent ceasefire, increased humanitarian assistance, Gaza's reconstruction and an end to settlement expansion.

"The establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous State of Palestine on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, remains the only guarantee for lasting peace in the region," he said.

Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has consistently supported the Palestinian cause in international forums. Islamabad advocates a negotiated two-state solution based on the pre-1967 boundaries, with East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

The Security Council meeting took place amid continued international concern over Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and the humanitarian situation in Gaza following months of conflict. While a ceasefire has reduced large-scale fighting, UN agencies continue to warn of severe humanitarian challenges and have called for sustained aid access, civilian protection and renewed diplomatic efforts toward a lasting political settlement.