UNITED NATIONS  -  Pakistan has called “unacceptable” the collective punish­ment of Gaza’s entire Palestinian popula­tion by Israeli Occu­pation forces, saying it amounts to “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”

“Major crimes against humanity are being committed even as we speak, in Pales­tine, in Occupied Jam­mu and Kashmir and in other situations of op­pression, occupation and violence,” Pakistani delegate Rabia Ijaz told the General Assembly’s Sixth (legal) Commit­tee). Ms. Ijaz, a sec­ond secretary at the Pa­kistan Mission to the UN, was speaking in a de­bate on Crimes against Humanity in which speakers spotlighted the need for a universal instrument on prevent­ing and punishing those crimes in the midst of geopolitical confronta­tions, including the re­cent Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Pakistan, she said, was deeply con­cerned by the rapidly deteriorating and dire humanitarian situation in Gaza due to the indis­criminate aerial bom­bardment, including of civilian and even pro­tected UN targets.” In addition to those ac­tions, the Pakistani del­egate said that the “in­humane blockade of food, fuel and medicines, as collective punishment of the entire Palestinian population of Gaza by Israeli Occupation forc­es, were unacceptable”. “The current cycle of ag­gression and violence is a sad reminder and a direct consequence of over seven decades of il­legal Israeli occupation, aggression, and disre­spect for internation­al law, including UNSC (Un Security Council) resolutions that rec­ognize the inalienable right to self-determina­tion of the Palestinian people.,” Ms. Ijaz said. “The international com­munity must work to­gether for a just, com­prehensive and lasting two-state solution with a viable, sovereign and contiguous State of Pal­estine on the basis of pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. “Peace in the Middle East will remain elusive in the absence of such a solution,” the Pa­kistani delegate added. In her remarks, Ms. Ijaz also underscored the necessity for global co­operation to eradicate impunity for culprits and to ascertain justice for victims. While the International Law Com­mission’s draft articles serve as “an instrumen­tal kick-off point” on this issue, she emphasized that it is too soon to es­tablish any solid con­clusions regarding their essence and layout. Dis­cussions on their con­tent — like those held during the April re­sumed session — are valuable but show that a certain degree of dis­parity between view­points remains.