Israel on Thursday strongly criticized Khawaja Asif’s comments, questioning Pakistan’s credibility as a neutral player in the ongoing regional diplomacy. The response came after Asif posted a series of comments on social media targeting Israel.
In response to these statements, the Prime Minister’s Office said: “The Pakistani Defense Minister’s call for the annihilation of Israel is outrageous.
“ She added: “This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially from a government that claims to be a neutral arbiter of peace.”
This controversy comes at a sensitive moment, as Pakistan is credited with brokering a two-week temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran, and preparing to host new peace talks over the weekend. This appeared when Assef, in his statements, described Israel as “evil” and “a curse to humanity,” and called for “getting rid of the Jews of Europe.” He also linked the ongoing diplomatic efforts to developments on the ground, saying: “Peace talks are underway in Islamabad, and genocide is being committed in Lebanon.” Assef said: “Israel is killing innocent citizens, first in Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, and the bloodshed continues unabated.”
“I hope and pray that the people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land will get rid of European Jews [sic] He added: “Burn in hell.” Separately, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also condemned the remarks, saying: “These blatant bloody anti-Semitic smears from a government that claims to be brokering peace.” Sa’ar said: “Israel will defend itself against the terrorists who pledge to destroy it.”
