ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has "Strongly" condemned the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement regarding the establishment of the Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia.

Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan, at his weekly press briefing, called the statement "irresponsible, provocative, and thoughtless" offending and disregarding the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and an independent state on their own historical and legitimate territory."

"Pakistan stands in solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and any attempt to undermine Saudi Arabia's unwavering position and misrepresentation of its commitment to the Palestinian cause is deeply regrettable," he stated. He said that in his telephonic conversations with counterparts from Iran, Egypt, Turkiye, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and UAE, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar termed the proposal to displace the people of Gaza deeply troubling and unjust and conveyed Pakistan's support for convening an extraordinary OIC meeting of Foreign Ministers to deliberate upon this issue.

To a question, the spokesperson ruled out any ban on UAE visas for Pakistani nationals; however, he said it was any country's sovereign prerogative to allow anyone to enter their soil.