Palestinian President assured of Pakistan's support over West Bank settlement

Islamabad [Pakistan], Feb. 1 (ANI): Pakistan has vowed continued support for Palestine's stance regarding the eviction of illegal Israeli settlements on the West Bank. In separate meetings with visiting Palestinian President Mehmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Mamnoon Hussain reiterated Islamabad's continued support for the Palestinian cause. President Abbas, who is on a three-day visit to Pakistan, was given a warm reception when he arrived at the Prime Minister's House on Tuesday. This is Palestinian President's third trip to Pakistan after his earlier visits in 2005 and 2013. During a joint press conference at the Prime Minister's House, Prime Minister Sharif said that an enduring peace in the Middle East could not be achieved without a solution to the Palestine-Israel dispute. "Pakistan will continue to support Palestine at all forums. We also look forward to the international community's efforts for a sustainable peace in the Middle East," he said. Sharif said Palestine was a long-standing issue on the UN's agenda and needed a practical solution. "The establishment of a viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine on the basis of [internationally agreed upon] parameters, the pre-1967 borders [with] Al-Quds Al-Sharif as [the] capital is the only sustainable guarantee [for] peace," he added. Both leaders called upon the international community to implement the United Nations Security Council's Resolution 2334, which demands Israel to end its settlements in the Palestinian territory. Sharif and President Abbas also inaugurated the new building of the Palestinian Embassy in the Diplomatic Enclave. During the meetings, the Palestinian President expressed concerns over the planned shifting of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, saying this move would violate the UNSC resolutions. He said that he had discussed bilateral relations with Sharif, which he said were strengthening with time. He added that the meeting was focused on issues of the region, especially the eradication of terrorism and extremism. This comes days after the Israeli Government approved an additional 2,500 homes in the West Bank and hundreds more in East Jerusalem. The Palestinians claim both areas, occupied by Israel in the 1967 war, as parts of a future state. The international community considers settlements to be illegal. Earlier in December last year, the United Nations passed a resolution that stated Israel's establishment of settlements in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem, had no legal validity, constituting a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the vision of two states. (ANI)