Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday spoke with Mahathir Mohamad, former Malaysian premier, over the phone to discuss worsening situation in Palestine after Israeli aggression.
According to a statement by Khan’s office, the two decried the ongoing Israeli airstrikes and expressed solidarity with the innocent and defenseless Palestinians.
Khan, for his part, strongly condemned the attacks on innocent worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem and airstrikes on Gaza, it said.
I had a telephone conversation with PM Imran Khan last night. I wished him a happy Eid Mubarak. We exchanged views on the situation in Palestine and the atrocities committed by Israel. We condemned the Israeli aggression and expressed solidarity with the Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/X8jV7Df2kO
— Dr Mahathir Mohamad (@chedetofficial) May 17, 2021
“The two leaders underscored the need for the international community to take urgent steps to halt the ongoing attacks, protect the civilians, and facilitate a just and lasting solution based on UN resolutions and two-state vision,” the statement added.
Foreign Ministers discuss Palestine
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Sunday spoke to his Qatari, Palestinian and Pakistani counterparts to discuss the evolving situation in Palestine.
In separate phone calls, Cavusoglu discussed the latest developments in Palestine and steps to be taken in the international arena, according to diplomatic sources.
He made phone calls to Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, following the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s executive committee meeting.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip in airstrikes since May 10, killing at least 197 people, including 34 women and 58 children, as well as injuring 1,235 more people.
Tensions spread from East Jerusalem to Gaza after Palestinian resistance groups there vowed to retaliate against recent Israeli assaults on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood if they were not halted.
Read more: Israel deliberately provoking violence to counter Hamas?
Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.
Anadolu with additional input by GVS News Desk