Pakistan tells UN Israel must withdraw from all occupied Syrian land

Pakistan has condemned continued Israeli military actions in Syria and called for Israel’s withdrawal from all occupied Syrian territory, telling the UN Security Council that the attacks threaten Syria’s hard-won recovery.

Speaking at a Security Council briefing on the humanitarian and political situation in Syria on Monday, Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, said the Israeli actions were “flagrant violations of international law and Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”, Dawn and The Express Tribune reported.

“They are also profoundly counterproductive to the prospects for regional peace and stability,” he said. While Syria worked to consolidate peace and recovery, “such violations serve only to create further instability”.

The Golan is Syrian

Jadoon said the occupied Syrian Golan remained Syrian territory under international law, citing Security Council resolutions 338 and 497. He repeated Pakistan’s call for Israel to withdraw from all occupied Syrian territory and to fully respect the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.

It was “deeply regrettable”, he said, that Israel’s military actions threatened to undermine Syria’s efforts to achieve national reconciliation and revive its economy.

“A renewed sense of hope”

The envoy struck an optimistic note about Syria’s future. “Today, amid the challenges of recovery and reconstruction, there is a renewed sense of hope in Syria,” he said, describing a country that was “steadily reclaiming its rightful place in the region and the wider international community”.

Pakistan’s message to the Council covered several points:

• Unity: Pakistan welcomed progress in engagement with the Syrian Democratic Forces and hoped the situation in Suweida would be resolved through dialogue. “Syria’s unity and diversity are mutually reinforcing,” Jadoon said
• Recovery: the lifting of US and EU sanctions, along with growing investment from friendly countries in the region and European partners, would give “important impetus” to Syria’s recovery
• Aid: “sustained humanitarian assistance remains essential to address the needs of the Syrian people”
• Terrorism: the threat from Daesh and other groups, including foreign terrorist fighters, required “sustained vigilance”, and Pakistan supported Syria’s efforts to strengthen its security and institutions

A steadfast friend

Jadoon said ties between the two countries continued to grow. “The leadership of our two countries recently met on the sidelines of the General Assembly High-Level Week, reaffirming our shared commitment to further strengthening bilateral relations,” he said.

“Pakistan will remain a steadfast friend and partner of Syria,” he said. “The people of Pakistan will continue to stand in solidarity and friendship with their Syrian brothers and sisters.”

Israel’s actions in Syria

Last month, a UN commission investigating Syria expressed alarm over Israel’s military activity inside Syrian territory, warning that some actions, including the detention of civilians, could amount to war crimes, Dawn reported.

In August, eight Israeli airstrikes hit an airbase in northwestern Syria, according to Syrian state media, in what the US envoy for the region called an “unnecessary escalation”. In the months after Bashar al-Assad was toppled, Israel seized ground in southwestern Syria and struck much of the Syrian military’s heavy weapons.

Why it matters

Pakistan has long stood for the sovereignty of Muslim countries facing occupation, from Palestine to Syria’s Golan. Its message at the UN was clear: Syria deserves the chance to rebuild, and Israel’s continued strikes and occupation stand in the way. Read our reports on Gaza’s death toll passing 74,000 and on Israel’s demolitions in south Lebanon.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn and The Express Tribune.