Pakistan has steadfastly supported the just struggle for the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. No lasting peace in the Middle East would be possible without achieving a peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine. The realization of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people and the withdrawal of Israel from the Palestinian territory are essential for any meaningful progress in the peace process. We have noted the recent developments in the Middle East peace process, particularly on the Palestine-Israeli track. Implementation of commitments concerning the opening of passage between the West Bank and Gaza Strip and partial release of prisoners, is a positive development.
Progress needs to be made on phased redeployment of Israeli troops from the West Bank.
We hope that progress would also be achieved in future negotiations on the permanent status issues within the agreed time frame of September 2000. Despite progress made in negotiations, Israel continues with its illegal settlement activities. We note with concern that construction of new and expansion of existing settlements continued to be carried out in disregard of the concerns expressed by the international community. A large number of Palestinian prisoners still remain in Israeli jails and they continue to receive harsh treatment by the Israeli authorities. Such actions can destabilize the positive environment created after the signing of Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum.