Pakistani-Iranian top diplomats reject Trump's Gaza plan

KARACHI, Pakistan

Top diplomats from Pakistan and Iran discussed the situation in the Middle East on Sunday with a focus on the Gaza Strip, rejecting US President Donald Trump's proposal to displace Palestinians as "troubling" and "unjust," according to a statement from Islamabad's Foreign Ministry.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, to discuss the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. Commenting on Trump's proposal, Dar, who holds the portfolio of the deputy prime minister, emphasized that Palestinian land belongs to the Palestinian people and the only viable and just option is a two-state solution, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

"Pakistan shall continue to support the establishment of a sovereign, independent, and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital," he said.

Dar also conveyed Pakistan’s support for convening an extraordinary Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting of foreign ministers to deliberate the issue.

A ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19 in Gaza, halting Israel’s genocidal war, which has killed more than 47,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and left the enclave in ruins.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.