Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani has emphasized thatPakistan’s decision regarding the establishment of relations with Israelwill be made after carefully considering both Pakistan’s national interestsand the interests of the Palestinian people. This statement was made inresponse to remarks by Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, who discussedthe normalization of Israel’s relations with Muslim-majority countries.
According to Israeli media outlet Kan News, Cohen suggested that “six orseven” Islamic nations were likely to normalize ties with Israel,particularly after Saudi Arabia’s potential inclusion in the AbrahamAccords. This agreement had already seen the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain,Morocco, and Sudan establish diplomatic relations with Israel. Cohen alsoclaimed to have engaged with leaders from several Muslim countries thathave not yet recognized Israel.
Jalil, in response to Cohen’s assertion, clarified that the Israeli ForeignMinister has not held any recent meetings with Pakistani officials. Thishighlights that Pakistan has not taken any definitive steps towardnormalizing relations with Israel in the near term.
It is worth noting that in 2005, during the tenure of former PresidentGeneral Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan’s then-foreign minister Khurshid MahmudKasuri met with his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom in Istanbul, Turkey.This historical context demonstrates that the issue of diplomatic relationswith Israel is not new to Pakistan’s foreign policy discussions.
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In conclusion, Caretaker Foreign Minister Jilani’s statement underscoresPakistan’s cautious approach to the prospect of establishing relations withIsrael, emphasizing the importance of considering both national interestsand the rights of the Palestinian people.Despite recent developments in the region, there have been no officialmeetings between Pakistani officials and Israeli counterparts, indicatingthat the decision remains a matter of careful deliberation for Pakistan’sforeign policy.
