UNITED NATIONS - Pakistan on Tuesday criticised the UN Security Council for failing to adopt a mandatory resolution ordering a ceasefire in Gaza where hapless Palestinians are under Israeli air, ground and naval attacks, stating that the bloodshed must be stopped and peace talks initiated.
Speaking in the Security Council, Pakistan UN Ambassador Masood Khan said that the world at large was “appalled and angry” that the 15-member body, the most powerful nations on earth, and the influential regional organisations cannot stop the carnage in Gaza.
“This Council has acted swiftly, and decisively from time to time, on Syria, Libya, Yemen, Central African Republic, Mali and Ukraine,” he pointed out. “People all around the world wonder why on Gaza” it has been able to produce only unbinding statement, not a resolution, he said.
The Pakistani envoy called for the intensification of international diplomatic efforts for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and revival of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks aimed at addressing root causes of the Middle East conflict. “Violence begets violence; and peace engenders peace. The relentless bloodshed must be stopped and peace talks initiated,” Masood Khan said in a debate on the situation in the Middle East.
“The Palestinians, who do not have a standing Army, are being pummeled by one of the  most modern and sophisticated military machines,” the Pakistani envoy said.
The asymmetry of the fight could not be more clear, but military might would not solve the problem, he said.  “International diplomacy initiated by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Egyptian leadership must be intensified.“
A political solution must be achieved, he said, adding, the relentless bloodshed must be stopped and peace talks initiated.  No ceasefire proposal should be spurned and the two-State solution should be pursued in earnest, he added.
“An independent, viable and geographically contiguous Palestinian State, on the basis of the pre-1967 borders, with Al Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, living side by side with Israel, is the only way to guarantee peace and stability in the region,” Masood Khan said.
He called for a Security Council resolution demanding the immediate cessation of Israeli attacks, end to the blockade of Gaza, opening its border, and release of Palestinian prisoners.. “Children and women of Gaza are crying out for help. This Council must listen to their screams and respond,” the Pakistani envoy said.