JERUSALEM – Although Pakistan does not recognize Israel, the media in theJewish state has also reported developments in Pakistan since July 25elections.
In an analysis published in the Times of Israel, an author questionedwhether Pakistan’s new leader will be any different from his predecessorswhen it comes to Islamic Republic’s relations with the Jewish state.
Written by Charles Dunst, the article gave complete profile of thePakistani leader, highlighting his career as sportsman and a politician.
The author also discussed the allegations Imran Khan has long faced abouthis connection to Jewish lobby after his marriage to Jemima Khan.
The author thinks Imran is less critical of Isreal than many other leadersin the Muslim world.
The analyst interpreted one of Khan’s tweet from 2011 as an apparentrepudiation of anti-Semitism.
“Just as questioning the holocaust is painful to the Jews, & we respectthis, so abuse of the Prophet (PBUH) is even more painful to Muslims” theauthor referred to this tweet of Khan which he had sent out to condemnblasphemy.
Alluding to Khushid Kasuri’s 2005 meeting with Israeli counterpart SilvanShalom in Istanbol, the writer questioned whether Khan would build on thisrelations or follow Saudi Arabia which seems to have softened its stancetowards Tel Aviv.
The analyst also quotes, Hussain Haqqani, the former Pakistani ambassadorto Washington, saying “His (Imran Khan’s )political stance has beenanti-Israel.Given his own Islamic-nationalist rhetoric, I do not see ImranKhan as the man who would reach out to Israel on behalf of Pakistan. Butmiracles can always happen.”.
Arguing that Israel is open to establishing relation with Pakistan, theauthor presented Isreali prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu speech in whichhe rebuked claims that his country’s relationship with India is in any waya threat to Pakistan.
“We are not enemies of Pakistan and Pakistan should not be our enemyeither,” Netanyahu told reporters,” the Israeli PM was quoted as saying atan event in India last year.
“Negative perceptions of Israel by some in Pakistan, and Israel’s closepartnership with India, may impose some limits on what is possible,” hecautioned. “But that doesn’t mean quiet ties based on security cooperationor access to Israeli technology are out of the question.
“They can provide important mutual benefits even before establishingofficial relations is possible,” Daniel Shapiro, the former US ambassadorto Israel is reported as having said .