FM Dar denounces Israel\u2019s genocidal campaign in Gaza
\n JEDDAH
\nForeign Ministers at the Extraordinary Open-Ended Meeting of OIC Executive Committee on Wednesday said Israel was \u201cfully responsible\u201d for the \u201cheinous\u201d killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and warned it could destabilise the region.
\nThe declaration came at the end of the extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called in part by Iran, which has vowed to retaliate for the attack on Haniyeh, setting the Middle East on edge.
\nIsrael has not commented on the death of Haniyeh, who lived in Qatar and was a major player in talks to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
\nAfter foreign ministers gathered at Jeddah, the bloc issued a statement saying it \u201cholds Israel, the illegal occupying power, fully responsible for this heinous attack\u201d, which it described as \u201ca serious infringement\u201d of Iran\u2019s sovereignty.
\nThe deputy foreign minister for Saudi Arabia, which until Wednesday had not commented on the attack, described it in similar terms, according to a Saudi government statement.
\nDuring the opening ceremony, Mamadou Tangara, foreign minister for current OIC chair The Gambia, said Haniyeh\u2019s death risked deepening and widening the ongoing bloodshed in the Middle East.
\n\u201cThis heinous act serves only to escalate the existing tensions potentially leading to a wider conflict that could involve the entire region,\u201d Tangara said.
\nHaniyeh\u2019s killing \u201cwill not quell the Palestinian cause but rather it amplifies it, underscoring the urgency for justice and human rights for the Palestinian people,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cThe sovereignty and territorial integrity of nation states are fundamental principles underpinning the international order.
\n\u201cRespecting these principles has profound implications and their violation equally carries significant consequences.\u201d
\nIran\u2019s acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri, reiterated Tehran\u2019s view that it needs to respond.
\n\u201cCurrently, in the absence of any appropriate action by the (United Nations) Security Council against the aggressions and violations of the Israeli regime, the Islamic Republic of Iran has no choice but to use its inherent right to legitimate defence against the aggressions of this regime,\u201d he said.
\nUS State Department spokesman Matthew Miller voiced hope on Wednesday that \u201call parties that have a relationship with Iran impress upon Iran, the same way we\u2019ve been impressing upon the government of Israel, that they shouldn\u2019t take any steps to escalate the conflict\u201d.
\nMiller said the United States had been in touch with a number of nations attending the OIC meeting and believed there was a \u201cbroad consensus\u201d that \u201cescalation would only exacerbate the problems facing the region\u201d.
\nOIC chair Gambian Foreign Minister Mamadou Tangara said, \u201cThis heinous act serves only to escalate the existing tensions potentially leading to a wider conflict that could involve the entire region.\u201d
\nHaniyeh\u2019s killing \u201cwill not quell the Palestinian cause but rather it amplifies it, underscoring the urgency for justice and human rights for the Palestinian people,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cThe sovereignty and territorial integrity of nation states are fundamental principles underpinning the international order.
\n\u201cRespecting these principles has profound implications and their violation equally carries significant consequences.\u201d
\nSpeaking in the summit, Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar said that while the International Court of Justice might have termed the Israeli bombardment in Gaza as \u201cplausible genocide\u201d, it was clear that it was \u201cgenocide\u201d.
\n\u201cWhat Israel is doing with unprecedented impunity [\u0085] is more than just adventurism. It is pure madness,\u201d Dar said while addressing an executive committee meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
\n\u201cThe oppressor is acting as if it has total freedom to break and bend the international law and norms and liberty,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cCan any sane mind, any conscienable nation, any responsible government or state condone or turn a blind eye to what Israel has done and continues to do,\u201d Dar added.
\nHe urged action against Israel\u2019s violations, recommending OIC sanctions, more humanitarian aid, and an international protection force and judicial mechanism.
\nDar highlighted recent positive developments and reaffirmed Pakistan\u2019s commitment to advancing peace as it joins the UNSC in January 2025.
\n\u201cWhile such grave action must be avenged, we must not fulfill Netanyahu\u2019s design for a wider war,\u201d he said. \u201cClearly, condemnation alone is not enough to stop and hold Israel accountable. It has not worked in the past and there is no reason to expect a different outcome this time.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat we need is unwavering political will, complete unity, and concrete steps to effectively address the situation at hand. We must initiate further actions to build on these developments including actions by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council in accordance with the ICJ\u2019s opinion.\u201d
\nHe described Israel\u2019s actions as beyond mere adventurism, characterizing them as sheer madness and akin to deliberately igniting a powder keg with unprecedented impunity and brutality. He acknowledged the Islamic Republic of Iran\u2019s and the Palestinian people\u2019s resolve to respond to and seek justice for Israel\u2019s provocative and criminal acts, as well as its blatant breaches of international law.
\nDar emphasized that while such serious actions must be avenged, it is crucial not to play into Netanyahu\u2019s strategy for a broader conflict. He then shared that the Government of Pakistan had observed a day of mourning on August 2, 2024, and that the National Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution condemning the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh and the ongoing Israeli atrocities against Palestinians over the past nine months.
\nHe said this action showed solidarity with the people of Iran and Palestine and delivered a firm condemnation of Israeli brutality and warmongering. The harrowing situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, especially Gaza, over the past nine months is widely recognized. The death of 40,000 innocent Palestinians, mostly women and children, at the hands of Israel\u2019s military continues to weigh heavily on the collective conscience.
\nWhile the streets of the Occupied Territory are already stained with Palestinian blood, Israel continues its ruthless agenda and unyielding campaign. By employing starvation as a weapon in Gaza, Israel flagrantly disregards humanity, international norms, and the law, deliberately targeting and destroying civilian infrastructure, homes, schools, hospitals, aid convoys, and humanitarian shelters. The naked cruelty of the oppressor is such that even humanitarian supplies and life-saving assistance have been impeded.
\nDar noted that the International Court of Justice has referred to the situation as \u201cplausible genocide,\u201d yet it is clearly genocide.
\nThe repeated calls for a ceasefire from the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, and the ICJ have been consistently ignored by Israeli leadership.
\nExtremist Israeli leaders appear determined to prolong and expand the war to secure their political survival, maintain the occupation, and block a two-state solution. Israel acts with impunity, flouting international laws and norms. No rational mind, ethical nation, or responsible government can condone or ignore these actions, he said.
\nDar stated that Israel has inflicted severe damage on the already fragile and volatile Middle East. The region has been devastated before under various pretexts, including geopolitics and the war on terrorism. Another prolonged crisis is untenable.
\nIt cannot be allowed for the OIC region to turn into a chessboard for external power plays, determining the fate of its people, Dar said adding as the situation in the Middle East worsens, the region\u2019s youth, in particular, are questioning and placing high expectations on the OIC. They are demanding peace instead of war, stability rather than turmoil, and prosperity over deprivation.
\nThe Muslim Ummah stands at a crossroads once more, and how it responds to the oppressor will be the measure of its resolve. Condemnation alone has proven insufficient in holding Israel accountable in the past, and there is no reason to expect a different result now.
\nWhat is needed is steadfast political will, complete unity, and decisive actions to address the crisis. The OIC must send a strong message of solidarity with Palestine and Iran and take all necessary measures to act effectively.
\nDar emphasized the need to prevent further escalation of tensions and violence in the region and to achieve a complete, durable, and unconditional ceasefire in the Occupied Territory. He asserted that if Israeli leadership continues to defy the legally binding demand for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the entire OIC membership will impose collective measures, including trade and oil sanctions.
\nDar called for an enhancement in humanitarian assistance to the beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza, emphasizing the need to address their critical needs for food, medicine, energy, and other essential supplies. He proposed that control of the Rafah crossing be returned to Egypt, all other supply access points to Gaza be opened, and that UN and international agencies, including UNRWA, be allowed to operate fully within Gaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FM Dar denounces Israel\u2019s genocidal campaign in Gaza JEDDAH Foreign Ministers at the Extraordinary Open-Ended Meeting of OIC Executive Committee on Wednesday said Israel was \u201cfully responsible\u201d for the \u201cheinous\u201d killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran and warned it could destabilise the region. The declaration came at the end of the extraordinary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":423781,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-423750","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n