A United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) video shows the chamber holding a moment of silence Monday over what one diplomat described as the deaths of innocent people “in the occupied Palestinian territory and elsewhere.”
Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva delivered a statement where he said the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed their “deep concerns over the loss of innocent lives in the occupied Palestinian territory and elsewhere.” (RELATED: UN Human Rights Advocate Rails Against Israel Following Hamas Attack)
The Pakistani diplomat went on to apparently scrutinize Israel, which he never directly named, for what he called its “more than seven decades of illegal foreign occupation, aggression and disrespect for the international law.”
Pakistan does not recognize Israel as a legitimate state, the Institute for National Security Studies noted. The diplomat also listed the earthquake victims in Afghanistan as being worthy of one minute of silence from the chamber.
On Monday afternoon, the @UN Human Rights Council observed a moment of silence for the loss of innocent lives in the occupied Palestinian territory and elsewhere.#HRC54 pic.twitter.com/9cgQDoQAyF
— United Nations Human Rights Council | 📍 #HRC54 (@UN_HRC) October 9, 2023
The chamber then observed the moment of silence.
The diplomat’s address didn’t directly acknowledge the at least 900 Israelis who have been killed as a result of Hamas’ attack, an Iranian-backed terrorist organization, since their Saturday invasion of Israel.