Israel's campaign against Palestinians is a carbon copy of the massive campaigns of racial slaughter by other settler-colonial regimes in history. Israel's goal is to erase not only a people but also the entire idea of Palestine, said Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Munir Akram, during the 10th Emergency Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly session that passed the resolution for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.
Akram said Pakistan supports the draft resolution submitted by Arab and Islamic countries in L27. “The resolution is identical in text to the one that was voted upon in the Security Council, and it aims to seek an immediate humanitarian ceasefire to provide access to humanitarian assistance and to call for the release of all hostages. This resolution was co-sponsored by over 100 members when it was submitted to the Security Council. It obtained affirmative votes from 13 of the 15 council members, but it failed to pass due to the negative vote of the permanent member of the Security Council. Yet the international community is not without recourse; the United Nations charter provides the general assembly with considerable residual power, and acting under the Uniting for Peace process, we can take action to demand a halt to the war that is taking place and killing thousands of people every week. The draft resolution is one we are confident will elicit the support of the vast majority of the UN membership,” he stated.
He further said, “Pakistan has not co-sponsored this draft resolution, and we have not done so because we reserve the right to submit amendments to ensure that the text which is adopted by the General Assembly is equitable and balanced, and it is, therefore, a matter of deep regret, if not surprising, that some friends of Israel have introduced amendments to once again condemn only one side but forgive the other. Unlike Canada, I cannot appeal to their sense of equity and justice, but what we can do is appeal to the sense of humanity, justice, and fairness of the rest of the UN membership.”
He said, “I am confident that this entire membership will not agree to place the blame only on Hamas but not on Israel; that would be unjust, unfair, and inequitable.”
“Mr. President, when you deny people freedom and dignity when you humiliate and trap them in an open-air prison where you kill them as if they were beasts, they become very angry, and they do to others what was done to them,” he stressed.
"Therefore, for Austria and my friend from the United States to blame Hamas in their amendments is not equitable,” he mentioned.
He said that the blame if it is to be placed, has to be placed on both parties and especially on Israel.
He said, “Mr. President, with the end of the pause, the skies over Gaza are filled with projectiles of death: helicopters, drones, artillery shells, tank shells, mortars, bombs, and missiles.”
He said that Israel had dropped 25000 tonnes of explosives on Gaza, nearly the equivalent of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Israel’s goal is not only to erase Hamas. “This is a war against the Palestinian people. Israel’s goal is not only to erase people but also the entire idea of Palestine. Its campaign is a carbon copy of massive campaigns of racial slaughter by other settler colonial regimes in history,” he added.
He stated, “Mr. President, over 18000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed, another 42,000 wounded, and 1.8 million people—over 80 percent of Gaza’s population—have been driven from their homes; thousands are missing and buried under the rubble, and yet Israel is not deterred.”
“Is this any form of legitimate self-defense when you can kill 18000 civilians with impunity and enjoy the protection of the security council against action?” he questioned.
"Therefore, I would appeal to all the members to see this one-sided slaughter that is taking place. If Hamas is named and not Israel, you will justify for the Israeli war machine to continue its roulette wheel of death. I believe that this is not the intention of membership in the UN to justify a genocide taking place in Gaza,” he added.
“I would therefore, on behalf of my delegation, on behalf of all Arab countries, and behalf of the OIC, appeal to all the membership to vote against the amendments proposed in L28 by Austria and L29 by the US.”
In case these amendments are adopted, Pakistan will submit sub-amendments to them to restore balance and name Israel as the perpetrator of the mass crimes that are taking place in Gaza today, he vowed.