Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip – Pakistan Senate resolution, Letter from Pakistan

    Letter dated 5 February 2009 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

  I have the honour to forward herewith a copy of the resolution, unanimously adopted by the Senate of Pakistan on 23 January 2009, concerning the situation in Palestine arising from the Israeli military aggression on Gaza (see annex).

  Reaffirming the full support and solidarity of Pakistan with the Palestinians in their just struggle for the restitution of their legitimate and inalienable national rights, the resolution condemned in the strongest terms the Israeli military aggression against the Palestinians. The resolution noted that the Israeli aggression violated the Charter of the United Nations, international law and international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, and that the Israeli policies and practice of targeting the civilians, including Palestinian women and children, were tantamount to committing acts that fell under the purview of international conventions against genocide and amounted to state terrorism. The Senate of Pakistan expressed deep concern about the inability of the international community to take effective action at the political, moral and legal levels to stop the Israeli aggression and to uphold the principles of the Charter and other international laws. The Senate of Pakistan also urged the world community, in particular the major powers, to use their considerable influence to safeguard the legitimate rights of the people of Palestine.

  I should be grateful if you could circulate the present letter and its annex as a document of the United Nations.

(Signed) Farukh Amil

Acting Permanent Representative 

    Annex to the letter dated 5 February 2009 from the Chargé d’affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General

      Resolution adopted by the Senate of Pakistan on the Israeli attacks on Gaza

    The Senate of Pakistan, having reviewed the situation arising from the Israeli aggression in Gaza and the humanitarian consequences thereof, has unanimously adopted the following resolution:

  The Senate of Pakistan:

 i.   Expresses its strongest condemnation of the barbaric Israeli military aggression against Palestinians, both by air and ground forces, which has caused thousands of civilian casualties and caused large-scale damage to property.

 ii.   Determines that the Israeli aggression in Gaza violated principles of the Charter of the United Nations, international law and international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions.

  iii.   Also determines that the Israeli policies and practice of targeting the civilian population, including Palestinian women and children, are tantamount to committing acts that fall in the purview of the international conventions against genocide and tantamount to state terrorism.

 iv.   Notes with deep concern the pathetic inability of the international community, including major powers, the United Nations, the Arab and the Islamic world, to take effective actions at the political, moral and legal planes to stop Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and to uphold the principles of the Charter and international law, including humanitarian law, and also condemns their double standards.

 v.   Urges the international community, in particular the major powers, and especially the United States, to use its considerable influence to safeguard the legitimate rights, including the right to life, which is the most fundamental of the people of Palestine, as well as to use all means to dissuade Israel from continuing to execute its atrocities against the civilians and the defenceless Palestinians.

 vi.   Reaffirms the strong condemnation by the Senate of Pakistan of the Israeli attacks against the Palestinian people in Gaza and reaffirms the total solidarity of the people of Pakistan with their Palestinian brethren.

  vii.   Reaffirms Pakistan’s full support and solidarity with the people of Palestine in their just struggle for the restitution of their legitimate and inalienable national rights, including the right to establish an independent Palestinian state on their own homeland, with Al-Quds Sharif as its capital.

  viii.   Commends the Government of Pakistan for its actions to sensitize the international community and particularly the Organization of the Islamic Conference to fulfil their indispensable responsibilities in upholding the rights of the Palestinian people.

 ix.   Requests the Government of Pakistan to expedite the supply of humanitarian and relief assistance for the Palestinian people in Gaza and stresses the importance of keeping the supply routes over land open along the Refa crossing.

 x.   Resolves that the Government of Pakistan should forward this resolution to the United Nations, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the League of Arab States and the diplomatic community in Pakistan.

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