ISLAMABAD; Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent comments about a “Greater Israel” posed a grave threat to regional peace and security.
Earlier this month, AFP reported that in an interview with i24NEWS, Netanyahu openly endorsed the idea of a Greater Israel, saying, “absolutely” when asked if he supported the vision. His remarks drew sharp condemnation worldwide, including from Pakistan. The controversy coincided with Israel’s defence minister approving a plan to seize Gaza City and Tel Aviv authorizing a new settlement project aimed at cutting off the West Bank from East Jerusalem.
Addressing an extraordinary session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Council of Foreign Ministers (OIC-CFM) in Jeddah, Dar said Israel had once again displayed its “blatant disregard for international norms,” issuing provocative statements that reflected “absolute contempt” for global order.
“The audacity of the Israeli leadership in unveiling plans to impose full military control over Gaza, alongside the prime minister’s allusion to a so-called Greater Israel, exposes Israel’s annexationist and rogue mindset,” Dar said.
Pakistan strongly condemned Netanyahu’s remarks, warning that they would worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and undermine efforts for peace. Dar noted that Pakistan had joined the Arab-Islamic Ministerial Committee and 31 other states, along with the OIC, Arab League, and Gulf Cooperation Council, in rejecting the Israeli announcement as an unacceptable escalation and a bid to cement illegal occupation through force.
Quoting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Dar said the “root cause of the tragedy” lay in Israel’s prolonged occupation of Palestinian lands. “As long as this occupation endures, peace will remain elusive. Pakistan stands firmly with Arab states in defending their sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity,” he stressed.
Dar described Gaza as “a graveyard for innocent lives and international law,” lamenting the deaths of more than 60,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. He said the deliberate targeting of hospitals, schools, refugee camps, UN facilities, and aid convoys amounted to “wanton acts of collective punishment.”
Highlighting that Gaza faces an unprecedented famine under an ongoing blockade, Dar praised international efforts for peace and called on states that have yet to recognize Palestine to do so without delay. He welcomed growing momentum for Palestinian statehood and the outcomes of last month’s International Conference on the Two-State Solution, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France.
“This is a defining moment for the Muslim Ummah. Sympathy is no longer enough — Palestinians need concrete action,” Dar told the gathering. “The OIC must rise with unity and purpose. Another Nakba cannot be allowed.”
He laid out seven urgent steps to end the crisis: an immediate ceasefire, secure humanitarian access, strengthened support for UNRWA, an end to forced displacement and settlements, the implementation of the OIC’s Gaza reconstruction plan, revival of a credible two-state peace process, and accountability for war crimes.
On the sidelines of the OIC session, Dar met his counterparts from Iran and Saudi Arabia. With Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, he discussed Gaza’s worsening situation, condemned Israel’s actions, and underlined the need for urgent aid and a lasting ceasefire. In talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, both sides reaffirmed their partnership and exchanged views on Gaza, reconstruction, and wider regional stability.
Dar had arrived in Jeddah to attend the OIC’s 21st Extraordinary Session, where foreign ministers from 57 member states are deliberating a coordinated response to Israel’s ongoing military campaign, occupation plans, and violations of Palestinian rights.
Meanwhile, Pakistan dispatched its 21st consignment of humanitarian aid for Gaza — 100 tons of ration bags, ready-to-eat meals, and canned food — bringing the total relief assistance sent so far to over 2,000 tons.
Since October 7, 2023, Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed more than 62,000 people and injured nearly 158,000, according to Palestinian health authorities. The UN has warned that over half a million people face “catastrophic hunger,” with famine conditions spreading rapidly as Israel presses ahead with its plan to seize control of Gaza City, calling it Hamas’s last stronghold.
