Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani has underlined that Pakistan’s stance on establishing relations with Israel will be made with a careful assessment of Pakistan’s national interests and the interests of the Palestinian people. His statement came in response to recent comments made by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen regarding the normalization of Israel’s relations with Muslim-majority countries.
Cohen, as reported by Israeli media outlet Kan News, indicated that “six or seven” Islamic nations were considering normalizing ties with Israel, potentially following Saudi Arabia’s participation in the Abraham Accords. The Abraham Accords have already seen the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Cohen also claimed to have engaged with leaders from several Muslim countries that have not yet recognized Israel.
In response to Cohen’s assertion, Foreign Minister Jalil clarified that Cohen had not held meetings with any Pakistani officials in recent times. He recalled a meeting in 2005, during the tenure of former President General Pervez Musharraf, where Pakistan’s then-Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri met with his Israeli counterpart, Silvan Shalom, in Turkey, Istanbul. However, no such high-level meetings have been publicly reported in the media since then.
A senior Pakistani diplomat, speaking anonymously, expressed hope that Pakistan would not be compelled to make a decision on this matter in the near future.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his address at the 78th United Nations General Assembly, asserted that peace with Saudi Arabia would signify peace between the Muslim world and Jews. He also suggested that Israel was close to normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia, while displaying maps that included the West Bank, Gaza, and Golan Heights as part of Israel. This statement has sparked debates on which Muslim countries, following the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, might establish relations with Israel.
It is important to note that Cohen has mentioned the likelihood of six or seven Muslim countries recognizing Israel, including Saudi Arabia, but did not disclose their names due to the situation in Libya, as suggested by international affairs experts.
