House Strongly Condemns Israeli Settlement Expansion and Displacement of Palestinians
The Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution strongly condemning and rejecting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments regarding a proposed alliance with India and other countries to counter Muslim states.
The resolution expresses concern over what it describes as provocative narratives that threaten the unity of the Muslim Ummah.
The resolution was adopted in response to comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu at a Cabinet meeting on Sunday ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tel Aviv, who said Israel “will create a whole system – essentially a sort of hexagon of alliances – around or within the Middle East.”
Modi will arrive on Wednesday and deliver a speech to the Knesset, or Israeli parliament. Netanyahu cited India, Greece, the Greek Cypriot administration and unnamed Arab, African and Asian countries as members of the proposed alliance.
Learn more: US envoy says Israel could take over ‘entire Middle East’
The goal is to “create an axis of countries that see reality, challenges and goals in the same way, unlike radical axes,” he said. “Both the radical Shiite axis, which we hit very hard, and also the emerging axis, the radical Sunni axis.”
The resolution presented to the House today, proposed by Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan on behalf of all political parties, condemns Israel’s policies and actions, particularly its disregard for international law, the United Nations (UN) Charter and key UN resolutions.
The Senate sharply criticized any attempt to change the legal or historical status of the occupied Palestinian territories, including the holy sites, and condemned the expansion of Israeli settlements and the displacement of Palestinians.
“The Senate strongly opposes statements that undermine regional stability and international legal standards,” the resolution said.
The House also rejected Israel’s recognition of Somaliland’s independence as inconsistent with international principles, and reaffirmed its support for Palestinian self-determination.
In December, Israel became the first country to officially recognize Somaliland as an independent, sovereign state, drawing strong condemnation from Muslim countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Learn more: Pakistan has not recognized Israel
The resolution called for an immediate and complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories and stressed the importance of increased humanitarian assistance for Palestinians, particularly in Gaza. He further urged the international community to hold Israel accountable for its actions that violate international humanitarian and human rights laws.
The Senate reiterated its unwavering support for the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. The resolution also calls for efforts towards the rapid recovery and reconstruction of Palestine.
Last week, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said “it would be nice” if Israel took control of territory described in a biblical passage as stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates, remarks he made during a television interview that garnered widespread attention after excerpts surfaced online.
Huckabee made the comments during an appearance on The Tucker Carlson Showhosted by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. The discussion focused on religious texts, Israel’s modern borders, and the relationship between theology and geopolitics.
Carlson said the description would encompass large parts of what is now the Middle East and asked Huckabee if Israel therefore had a right to that land.
“So God gave this land – basically the whole Middle East,” Carlson said, asking Huckabee if Israel therefore had a right to this territory.
“It would be nice if they took everything,” Huckabee replied.
Following this statement, Pakistan and 13 other countries strongly condemned the remarks.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Kuwait, Oman, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States and the Gulf Cooperation Council, expressed their “deep concern”.
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The ministers said Huckabee’s remarks contradicted “the vision presented by US President Donald Trump, as well as the Comprehensive Plan to End the Conflict in Gaza”, which they said aimed to contain escalation and create a political path to a settlement guaranteeing the Palestinians an independent state.
