Washington: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has called for stronger coordination among Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states at the United Nations and other international forums to protect Palestinians and uphold international law.

Addressing the OIC Committee of Six on Palestine on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Dar said the Gaza ceasefire was being violated almost daily and urged sustained diplomatic efforts in support of the Palestinian people.

Dar said the Palestine issue remained central to the OIC and its member states had a responsibility to mobilise political and diplomatic support. He also stressed the need to ensure that the international community remained focused on the legitimate and human rights of Palestinians.

The foreign minister said the meeting was taking place as the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and Gaza, continued to require urgent attention. He said recent diplomatic efforts had created an opportunity to advance a political process, but serious challenges remained, with the humanitarian situation still difficult and the security environment fragile.

Dar welcomed the efforts of the United States, Qatar and Türkiye to advance implementation of the comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict, endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803. The resolution, adopted in November 2025, endorsed the plan and called for its implementation, including maintaining the ceasefire.

On the West Bank, Dar criticised Israel’s settlement activity, settler violence, annexationist policies and other actions, saying they threatened the territorial integrity and continuity of the occupied Palestinian territory and undermined prospects for a future Palestinian state.

He also condemned continued Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa Mosque and Al-Haram Al-Sharif, including repeated incursions by Israeli settlers, saying such actions violated international law, relevant UN resolutions and the historical and legal status quo governing the holy sites.

Dar outlined six priorities for the Committee of Six, including safeguarding the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque, Al-Haram Al-Sharif and Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. He also called for opposition to settlement expansion, annexation measures, settler violence and forced displacement.

He said reconstruction and governance arrangements in Gaza should remain Palestinian-led, with a central role for the Palestinian Authority, while those responsible for violations of international and humanitarian law should be held accountable.

Dar called for a credible, irreversible and time-bound political process leading to an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state.

He reiterated Pakistan’s support for a Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, as well as Palestine’s full membership of the United Nations.