Khawaja Asif Netanyahu (archive photos)
A row erupted between Israel and Pakistan after Defense Minister Khawaja Asif published remarks targeting Israel over its military operations in Lebanon, which he later deleted amid strong backlash.Israel strongly criticized the remarks on Thursday and questioned Pakistan’s credibility as a neutral player in the ongoing regional diplomacy. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office described these statements as “offensive,” saying that “the Pakistani Defense Minister’s call for the annihilation of Israel is disgraceful.”
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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 in Islamabad. This incident risks complicating those diplomatic efforts.In the now-deleted posts, Asif described Israel as “evil” and “a curse to humanity,” and called for “getting rid of European Jews.” He also linked the diplomatic push 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.” He added: “I hope and pray to God that the people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land will get rid of European Jews.” [sic] Burn in hell.”
Khawaja Asif X’s post has now been deleted
Separately, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the statements, describing them as “blatant, bloody anti-Semitic slurs” and stressed that Israel will defend itself against those who threaten its existence.US Representative Josh Gottheimer also criticized Asif’s statements, calling them “hate speech.”
