Pakistani premier says he stands with Gaza

KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said his country stands with Palestine amid a recent wave of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza killing dozens and injuring hundreds of others.

"I am PM (prime minister) of Pakistan and we stand with Gaza, we stand with Palestine," Khan said in a Twitter post, which remained the top trend on the social media blogging website in Pakistan.

He also quoted prominent US intellectual Noam Chomsky as saying "you take my water, burn my olive trees, destroy my house, take my job, steal my land, imprison my father, kill my mother, bombard my country, starve us all, humiliate us all but I am to blame. I shot a rocket back."

Khan has time and again explained that his country would not recognize Israel until the issue is resolved to the satisfaction of Palestinians.

Violence flared in Palestinian territories on Sunday after Israeli police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied East Jerusalem and attacked Palestinian worshippers inside the holy site. Around 300 Palestinians were injured in attacks inside the flashpoint complex.

Tensions have been running high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem since last week when Israeli settlers swarmed in after an Israeli court ordered the evictions of Palestinian families.

Palestinians protesting in solidarity with residents of Sheikh Jarrah have been targeted by Israeli forces. ​​​​​​

The escalation resulted in airstrikes by Israel on Gaza, which has left scores of people dead and hundreds of others wounded.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980 – a move that has never been recognized by the international community.