Not acceptable: Pakistan shoots down Trump's Abraham Accords push
Donald Trump asked Pakistan to join the Abraham Accords and recognise Israel, linking it to any formal peace deal with Iran. Pakistan signalled resistance, with Khawaja Asif saying its fundamental ideologies could not be compromised.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump left Pakistan at a crossroads, demanding that it join the Abraham Accords and formally recognise Israel. Trump linked it to any formal peace deal with Iran. It left Pakistan in a Catch-22 situation - snub Trump at its own peril or recognise its rival Israel. It seems to have chosen the former, with Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saying compromising on its "fundamental ideologies" was unacceptable.
For Pakistan, it is arguably the trickiest paradox. Pakistan has never recognised Israel in its 78-year history. This prevents its citizens from travelling to Israel on a Pakistani passport. We will come back to this later. Asif underlined that Pakistan's long-held position on Israel would not allow it to join the Abraham Accords.
"I don't think we should join any such accord that clashes with our fundamental ideologies. How will you sit down with those people whose word cannot be trusted even for a single day?" the defence minister said in an interview with Samaa TV, taking a swipe at Israel.
Asif also referred to Pakistan's passport policy to reject any suggestion of a change in its outlook towards Israel.
"On our passports, we are the only country whose passports don't even include Israel’s name... We have a very clear stance that this is not acceptable to us," he said.
WHAT TRUMP SAID ON ABRAHAM ACCORDS?
The blunt remark by Asif comes after Trump's Abraham Accords call left it to navigate a delicate diplomatic challenge.
On Monday, Trump, staying true to his unpredictable nature, "mandatorily requested" several Muslim-majority and Arab nations to normalise ties with Israel and linked it to negotiations to end the Iran conflict.
It brought the Abraham Accords back into the spotlight. These are basically a series of agreements brokered by the US in 2020 aimed at normalising relations between Israel and Arab states.
The first agreements, signed during Trump's first term, were between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain. Morocco, Sudan and Kazakhstan later joined the accords. Egypt and Jordan already had diplomatic ties with Israel.
THE PAKISTAN PARADOX
Thus, essentially, Trump's demand was aimed at Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan. For Pakistan, it was a difficult pill to swallow. On one hand, it was chosen by Trump to mediate between the US and Iran. Any pushback will not be taken kindly by the eccentric US President.
On the other hand, if it did recognise Israel, Pakistan risked domestic blowback. Pakistan has consistently refused to recognise Israel, and religious outfits back home are against any normalisation of ties.
It has been a longstanding stance of Pakistan that any such move could only happen if Israel allowed the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders.
Even in January this year, as Pakistan, boosted by its newfound dosti with Trump, joined the Gaza Board of Peace, it made sure to delink it with the Abraham Accords.
"It is a misconception that joining the Board of Peace is in any way connected to any Abraham Accords... Pakistan's positions remain unchanged, and we will not become a party to it," the Pakistan foreign office clarified.
For Pakistan, US pressure to reconsider its Israel policy is not new. In 2021, then Prime Minister Imran Khan publicly said Pakistan was "under pressure from the US and other countries" to normalise ties with the Jewish nation.
Moreover, another headache for Pakistan is that several Gulf monarchies, like Saudi Arabia, are increasingly engaging with Israel under US pressure. Cast-strapped Pakistan is dependent on these Gulf monarchies for economic and military support.
By openly declining Trump's Abraham Accords call, Pakistan seems to be playing with fire. It now remains to be seen how Trump responds to Pakistan's stance.
On Monday, US President Donald Trump left Pakistan at a crossroads, demanding that it join the Abraham Accords and formally recognise Israel. Trump linked it to any formal peace deal with Iran. It left Pakistan in a Catch-22 situation - snub Trump at its own peril or recognise its rival Israel. It seems to have chosen the former, with Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif saying compromising on its "fundamental ideologies" was unacceptable.
For Pakistan, it is arguably the trickiest paradox. Pakistan has never recognised Israel in its 78-year history. This prevents its citizens from travelling to Israel on a Pakistani passport. We will come back to this later. Asif underlined that Pakistan's long-held position on Israel would not allow it to join the Abraham Accords.
"I don't think we should join any such accord that clashes with our fundamental ideologies. How will you sit down with those people whose word cannot be trusted even for a single day?" the defence minister said in an interview with Samaa TV, taking a swipe at Israel.
Asif also referred to Pakistan's passport policy to reject any suggestion of a change in its outlook towards Israel.
"On our passports, we are the only country whose passports don't even include Israel’s name... We have a very clear stance that this is not acceptable to us," he said.
WHAT TRUMP SAID ON ABRAHAM ACCORDS?
The blunt remark by Asif comes after Trump's Abraham Accords call left it to navigate a delicate diplomatic challenge.
On Monday, Trump, staying true to his unpredictable nature, "mandatorily requested" several Muslim-majority and Arab nations to normalise ties with Israel and linked it to negotiations to end the Iran conflict.
It brought the Abraham Accords back into the spotlight. These are basically a series of agreements brokered by the US in 2020 aimed at normalising relations between Israel and Arab states.
The first agreements, signed during Trump's first term, were between Israel and the UAE and Bahrain. Morocco, Sudan and Kazakhstan later joined the accords. Egypt and Jordan already had diplomatic ties with Israel.
THE PAKISTAN PARADOX
Thus, essentially, Trump's demand was aimed at Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan. For Pakistan, it was a difficult pill to swallow. On one hand, it was chosen by Trump to mediate between the US and Iran. Any pushback will not be taken kindly by the eccentric US President.
On the other hand, if it did recognise Israel, Pakistan risked domestic blowback. Pakistan has consistently refused to recognise Israel, and religious outfits back home are against any normalisation of ties.
It has been a longstanding stance of Pakistan that any such move could only happen if Israel allowed the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders.
Even in January this year, as Pakistan, boosted by its newfound dosti with Trump, joined the Gaza Board of Peace, it made sure to delink it with the Abraham Accords.
"It is a misconception that joining the Board of Peace is in any way connected to any Abraham Accords... Pakistan's positions remain unchanged, and we will not become a party to it," the Pakistan foreign office clarified.
For Pakistan, US pressure to reconsider its Israel policy is not new. In 2021, then Prime Minister Imran Khan publicly said Pakistan was "under pressure from the US and other countries" to normalise ties with the Jewish nation.
Moreover, another headache for Pakistan is that several Gulf monarchies, like Saudi Arabia, are increasingly engaging with Israel under US pressure. Cast-strapped Pakistan is dependent on these Gulf monarchies for economic and military support.
By openly declining Trump's Abraham Accords call, Pakistan seems to be playing with fire. It now remains to be seen how Trump responds to Pakistan's stance.
