>> these are your top stories. united nations human rights council has voted to investigate whether crimes were committed during the israel-palestinian conflict. they will look into all violations and systemic abuses. palestinians have welcomed the move, but israel says it is ignoring the actions of hamas. >> another shameful day for the human rights council, which not only defamed democracy trying to

protect its people, but whitewash is a brutal genocidal terrorist organization that indiscriminately attacks israeli civilians but abuses palestinian citizens as shields. >> there has been a call for humanitarian money to rebuild or repair hospitals, schools, and water facilities. aid has been trickling in. hundreds lined up for goods from egypt. the u.s. is warning of sanctions if violence in ethiopia it does not stop. a senior official said the region risks famine if the conflict continues. thousands killed and millions displaced. the french president has asked his country to be forgiven its role in the 9094 jim assad --

1994 genocide. he stopped short of an outright apology. rifle leaders in somalia say they have resolved a long-running election standoff and that voting will take place within 60 days. the prime minister says he is committed to free and fair polls to be held in february. since then, there have been bursts of violence as the situation was impaired bashar al-assad has been elected for a fourth seven-year term, supporters celebrating in damascus. he is said to have won just over 95% of the vote. that is your news. stay with us. ♪

♪ >> israel's offensive in gaza because death and injury. antonio guterres cold for an immediate cease-fire, but benjamin netanyahu insisted the offensive would go on as long as necessary. world leaders expressed concerns, pakistan prominent. the united nations general assembly held an emergency session. they were looking for consensus to put an end to what was cold the atrocities of palestine. what role does it play given the geopolitical dynamics in the

normalized relations with israel? pakistan's foreign minister to "al jazeera." foreign minister of pakistan, thank you for talking to "al jazeera." how would you characterize israel's actions in gaza over the last week? >> barbaric. in human. uncalled for. the excessive use of force attacking the mosque was unacceptable, and that triggered the crisis. anchor: what is your reaction to the news of the cease-fire? >> i am very happy. i hope it holds. past experience shows it did not hold in 2014, but i hope it

holds. anchor: is there any indication what transpired to make israel realize they could not go on? >> public pressure was building all over the world. they realized that they were losing the media war. nobody expected such a sharp reaction. the government responded later. the people reacted first, and this is the quantitative change, but i think israel was not expecting the reaction within the next to cities in israel. palestinians, arabs, jews confronting each other in israel. that is a new unprecedented development. anchor: in spite of your

efforts. you did convene a meeting. and yet, you said they must defend the palestinians. i am curious. members of the oic include sudan, morocco, the uae, bahrain, who have normalized their relationships with israel under the abraham accords. did they feel the policy deserve to be defend anymore? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: they justified this as a step towards peace, normalization, and the israeli reaction, i would think would somewhat disappoint them. anchor: was there any indication of that. i know they sent envoys. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: if they gauged the sentiment, street sentiment, they would realize that people were disappointed. anchor: you said the palestinian

issue, you can't get a better example than these nations normalizing relations. do you think anything has changed now, or will we be in the same situation as before in a few years time and israel would do the same thing, mow the grass once again? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: you cannot shove the palestine question under the carpet for too long. it will resurface. you can look the other way. anchor: that brings us to the biden administration's reaction to the bombardment. how do you assess washington's reaction to the israeli killing of hundreds of civilians in gaza? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: i think they were slow. they should have reacted and acted speedily. they could have saved some lives. this is an administration that is a very experienced

administration vis-a-vis foreign policy, so one expected a quicker response. this delayed response sort of gave an impression that they were not prepared to deal with a situation like this. anchor: isn't it precisely that experience that suggests this was not been caught unaware. this was a calculated delay and calculated response. obama did the same thing. let israeli forces kill is made people as it has to, and then president obama would eventually say something. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: the democratic party has always spoken about human rights. anchor: just a few weeks ago, it was said the biden foreign policy would have human rights at the center of it. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: you saw how international and humanitarian law was being violated, so with

this good news, i think attention will now focus on the human rights council, i hope. i hope. democracies in the west do not overlook the human issue. anchor: that is precisely what joe biden did, as we said, a great deal of expense and calculation that if things did deteriorate in the middle east, that would be his position based on his decades in congress. no matter the humiliation. once again, benjamin netanyahu the day after biden as for the de-escalation, he escalated. he is prepared to go through the. it is necessary. it was calculated. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: i would not say that. perhaps they were trying? i have no inside information, but i am guessing. perhaps prime minister netanyahu was playing politics, you know?

to regain lost political ground, and for that, he had to show flecks muscle. he -- flex, muscle that he is a strong man and means business. anchor: biden was willing to sacrifice his standing in the world? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: he was trying. antony blinken said extensive diplomatic effort was underway, so. anchor: what was he going to say? a few weeks ago, antony blinken said that human rights would be the centerpiece of american foreign policy. that is comptely in tatters. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: yes. that is for them to demonstrate. to show the world that they believe in human rights. anchor: surely that is news here , that there is a ruthlessness

in biden's foreign policy approach, that israel is the ally and does not want to get involved in a middle east conflict, he was dictated. if hundreds of women, men, and children are killed in their beds in gaza, he feels it is a price worth paying. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: the u.s. cannot remain indifferent. they are a global power. they cannot look the other way. they have responsibilities. and, many americans feel in a particular way if they did not. you would not have seen the demonstrations, peaceful demonstrations in chicago, michigan, and other u.s. towns. anchor: as far as pakistan is concerned, what i get from it is that once biden's mind is made up, once he has dismissed a country or people, he will have

no qualms about sacrificing population, clearly. i say this in the context of pakistan, because it has been clear since biden's was inaugurated that he has had no time for pakistan. there have been no phone calls. there are summits that pakistan is invited to come involved, even though pakistan is important to the discussion. does that concern you? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: point understood. point well made. the question is, should they do that? and can they afford to ignore pakistan? look at the size of the country. look at the strategic location of the country, right? look at the presence of pakistan within it. look at the history that pakistan has had with the u.s.

we have been friends and allies in difficult times. anchor: that is not how they see it. they showed you as sheltering the network in the place where osama bin laden was. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: look at the need for pakistan for peace and stability in the region. is that over? not yet. not yet. anchor: why do you think the biden administration is acting this way given the historical role of pakistan in theater so crucial? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: i can't speak for them. anchor: you must have a hunch. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: i hope they realize the importance of pakistan. i am sure they have found new friends in the region, but why boost old ones? anchor: in the public pronouncements on pakistan, they emphasize pakistan as one of several nations with a stake in the future of afghanistan. they mentioned china, india,

iran, russia, and pakistan, whereas before, it was different. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: we have always advocated that it is a shared responsibility. you cannot just focus on pakistan if things go wrong and you hold pakistan responsible, no. we have played our part and will continue to play our part for peace and stability. it is a shared responsibility. we cannot be held responsible for internal squabbling's in pakistan, a power struggle going on. what we're saying is we seriously with sincerity want to see peace and stability in the region, because we are net beneficiaries. if any country benefits from peace, it is pakistan. anchor: how crucial was pakistan

getting the taliban to agree to the peace deal in the first place, getting the taliban to negotiate? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: you can ask the ambassador of the role pakistan played. he has publicly acknowledged the constructive and positive role pakistan has played in getting the taliban to the negotiating table and pushing the peace process forward and getting a peace agreement between the taliban and the u.s., the dough hot peace agreement, getting the peace talks started and building a consensus for the rules and procedures of engagement, and still trying to break the stalemate that exists at the moment. anchor: how would you characterize pakistan's relationship with the taliban? there is that since that pakistan is no longer operated in the involvement, strategic

depth as it was called. there is a since the taliban is getting more pragmatic itself. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: one thing i have learned over the years, one thing that taliban and the afferent government -- government has realized or should realize is the people of pakistan, the overwhelming majority, once peace. anchor: in the past, the argument was it was preventing the afghan government from functioning with its sponsorship of the taliban. there is a sense that relationship has changed. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: how? how? the countries take their own decisions. we have a very clear policy of noninterference. we have learned over the years, and we did not want to meddle in their internal affairs.

we are saying we will be honest brokers. you will be facilitators. that is it. anchor: is it because of pakistan's weakened influence over the taliban that washington doesn't need you anymore? you are not the influencer. you have an operational role with the taliban, in which case you are anna faris actor, or you don't, in which case you are irrelevant. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: pakistan will never be irrelevant. mark my words. we will never be irrelevant. if you look at the regional picture, if you look at the new global challenges in the making, pakistan will always remain relevant. anchor: and you do get the sense and hinted at this, that if the taliban does renege on the deal, pakistan may be blamed? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: it is easy or convenient to blame people and

pass the buck, but we have in all the interactions with the taliban, we have had engagement and told them they have gained respectability by engaging. we have told him that the region is different in the last two decades. it has changed, you know? you cannot live in the past. except new realities and move on. and, and, basically, it is your country. you have to reconcile. anchor: let's talk of the taliban in india putting feelers out. that must concern you if you are taking a taliban at their word and would suggest the taliban is looking at the new reality of afghanistan, which means it might have to have a relationship with india and others. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: you see, it is a country that has every right to

have relations with india, and they have had relations with india, and we have no issues with that. what we are saying is, and we have not objected to india playing a post-conflict constructive role in reconstruction, and rebuilding. we have no issue with that. we have said they had their limitations vis-a-vis the peace process because they are not immediate neighbors of the region. they do not have 3 million refugees living in their country. we do. we do. the world has forgotten them, but we are living with them. anchor: surely the afghanistan will go back to the situation, the jostling of great power competition. in this case, china, india,

russia, iran, pakistan. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: finally, finally, it is one area. all the big players have a consensus. china, russia, european union, the u.s. there is a convergence on the region. they could have differences in other areas, but here fortunately, there is a convergence. anchor: it is an interest, china's growing role, as the u.s. leaves, and china also very concerned about the spillover of islamic militancy over the border. china offering talks between the afghan government and the taliban, talking about peacekeeping operations, if things get out of hand. this is astonishing geopolitically to see the chinese step in. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: they are neighbors. their interest is inevitable.

and, we also realize that they can help them. it would require reconstruction. it would require investments post-conflict investments, and china stands to gain. the economic corridor china is building, the port that has become operational, the region being landlocked, there isn't interest, a greater interest in the region and central republics who are part of the china, pakistan, russia are, their interest is national. anchor: the nature of the u.s. strategic posture, if afghanistan gets involved with

belt and road and china, washington will become interested again, because it does not want china to have any influence. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: we have always advocated it would be a mistake to lose interest. it will be a political mistake that washington will make, if they lose interest in pakistan. it is in their long-term interest to remain engaged with pakistan. anchor: let's talk about the chinese-pakistan economic corridor, the port, potentially a base for chinese warships with access to the arabian sea. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: it is a commercial hub. anchor: well, ports can be used for many different purposes. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: they can be. anchor: that is the choice you made. how does it feel to because he associated with the power that washington feels is its biggest strategic enemy? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: we don't want them to be enemies, right?

we have been historically big builders. anchor: nixon to china is the example. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: pakistan played a positive role. who benefited? both. china, america closeness has been mutually beneficial. we are friends with both. so what we are saying is, if you need our help, we are there. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: have you felt overt pressure from washington? you spoke with the blinken, does that weaken the ties or is it just passive aggression? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: i don't think they would expect us to weaken our ties with beijing. they know that beijing has stood with us through thick and thin. the relationship has been consistent, consistent. every four years there is a new administration and approach, but with china, governments have come and gone, but the

relationship is people-centric. anchor: again, when we look at the geopolitical structure moving forward, we have now china and pakistan. the u.s. and india getting closer. are we seeing a potential proxy situation once again and south asia where this is how things will be lined up? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: i hope not. i hope not. we are not looking for sort of a post-cold war situation. we want good relations. with the united states. we want and understand the significance and importance of the united states. we value these strategic relationships with china, so we want good relations with both. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: some say the closeness with china gives pakistan the

confidence to continue to have a rocky relationship with india, perhaps. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: the fact is we do not want a rocky relationship with india. we want to be at peace with all our neighbors. who has run away from the comprehensive dialogue? not pakistan. who has shied away? not pakistan. india. 2019. the talk, the unilateral. they violated the bilateral understandings between pakistan and india. now that has boomeranged. today, the cashmere policy -- policy, it will not work. revisit it. anchor: the signs are promising the cease-fire is being honored. they say now is the time to bury the past and move forward.

we have the uae dialogue and talk of summits between pakistan and indian leaders. why now? what has changed suddenly? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: you see, a, our preference for peace and stability in the region, our decision to move from politics to economics, our desire to attain economic security, to promote investments, to provoke regional connectivity, how can weave these without this? you see, we do not have to look to it. our interests lie in peace with india, peace in the region. right? that gives us the east-west regional activity that opens up markets for us, and we benefit

from that. anchor: there is this amazing phenomenon in the middle east, as the biden power disengages, powers that did not talk to each other are now talking, back channels between saudi arabia and iran, now that biden says he does not want to get involved. because the u.s. had such a huge presence in the region, that was an impediment to geopolitical harmony in some ways? now that they are leaving, there are avenues for nations to properly have a dialogue without the u.s. in the shadows? foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: if tensions go down and if misunderstandings can be resolved through better communication, the region benefits. if there is an improvement between saudi arabia and iran, both stand to gain.

if there is a better understanding between saudi arabia and turkey, both stand to gain. anchor: in the past, the u.s. was always there. if they are disengaging, diplomacy might flour. foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: the question is, we are geographically connected. some powers have the choice of leaving at will. do we? we don't. where will we go? we have to coexist. that is why our approach but to be different. anchor: foreign minister, thank you for talking to "al jazeera." foreign minister shah mahmood qureshi: thank you. ♪ógg

[indistinct radio chatter] newscaster: this is where it began. this is where the fuse was lighted, the dusty corner in an old neighborhood of modest homes and new low-priced apartments. man: after 6 days of rioting in south los angeles in august of 1965, you've got 34 people who lose their life, 1,032 people are wounded and injured, and almost $30 million in mid-1960s of capital and building destruction. newscaster: up the street a block or so in that direction, a church w