Stressing the need for Israel’s withdrawal from the Palestinian occupied territories, Pakistan has urged the UN Security Council to consider “appropriate steps” to address non-compliance of its resolutions aimed at Middle East peace.

“It is the political will of one of the parties that continues to stymie us, and as a consequence, the prospects for peace in the region,” Ambassador Raza Bashir Tarar, Pakistan’s acting permanent representative to the UN, said Wednesday — referring to Israel — while speaking in a debate on the Middle East Situation.

“While we keep dithering, the region is in turmoil, and without a clear roadmap, chances of an escalation remain high,” he said, referring to heightening tensions.

“The Security Council must act now. Otherwise the situation may spiral totally out of control, “The Security Council continues to pay lip service to the plight of Palestinians while they continue to languish in abysmal condition,” the Pakistani envoy added.

“With further intensification of Israel’s illegal settlement campaign, it has again become evident that prospects of a two-state solution on the basis of pre-1967 borders are being eroded.”

Ambassador Tarar said that there was an elaborate framework that had been created for Middle East peace, and asked why those who had influence on Israel did not use it.

He added that reports showed that Palestinians were deprived of rights and that Council resolutions were flouted by Israel. “The denial of the Palestinians right to self-determination remains at the heart of unrest in the region,” the Pakistani envoy told the 15-nation Council, while urging it to act with urgency.

Maintaining that the solution in Syria lay in a Syrian-led political process and support for UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan’s six-point plan, he said that the so-called Arab Spring should serve as a prime mover for concerted action to realize the aspirations of the Palestinian people.

“Our ultimate objective should continue to be the creation of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian State,” Tarar said.

“We welcome the League of Arab States’ backing of a Palestinian plan to ask for UN recognition of the State of Palestine. We remain ready and willing to assist.” APP.