Pakistan’s Foreign Office has categorically rejected rumors that it was considering recognizing Israel, referring to them as “baseless speculation”. “Responding to media queries, the Spokesperson categorically rejected baseless speculation regarding the possibility of recognition of the State of Israel by Pakistan,” read a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Tuesday.
Recognition of #Israel is not under consideration.
PM @ImranKhanPTI’s statements in this context have been clear & unequivocal. PM has made it clear that unless a just settlement of Palestine issue, satisfactory to Palestinian people, is found, 🇵🇰 cannot recognize Israel. 1/2
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) November 24, 2020
The Foreign Office said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statements on recognizing Israel, in the past, had been “clear and unequivocal”. “The Prime Minister has made it clear that unless a just settlement of the Palestine issue, satisfactory to the Palestinian people, is found, Pakistan cannot recognize Israel,” read the statement.
“For just and lasting peace, it is imperative to have a two-state solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions, with the pre-1967 borders, and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State,” said the MoFA.
Rumors of Pakistan recognizing Israel started doing the rounds on social media after Israeli media stated that Netanyahu had met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a few days ago.
However, Saudi Arabia shot down the reports, adding that MBS had met US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, clarifying that no Israeli official had attended the meeting.
What exactly happened?
Israeli media claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) on Sunday. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was present in the meeting. Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen also attended the meeting, which was reportedly held in Neom on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, reported Israel’s Kan public radio and Army Radio.
Read more: Pakistan backs two-state solution to Israel-Palestinian conflict: FM Qureshi
Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, has denied reports on Twitter.
I have seen press reports about a purported meeting between HRH the Crown Prince and Israeli officials during the recent visit by @SecPompeo. No such meeting occurred. The only officials present were American and Saudi.
— فيصل بن فرحان (@FaisalbinFarhan) November 23, 2020
Notably, Riyadh has so far declined to normalize ties with Israel, saying Palestinian statehood goals should be addressed first. But the Saudis have allowed Israeli airliners to overfly their territory to newly available Gulf destinations and to Asia.
A private jet traveled to Saudi Arabia?
According to Israeli daily Haaretz, aviation tracking data showed that a private jet had made a brief trip from Tel Aviv to Neom, where MBS and Pompeo had a scheduled meeting on Sunday. Flight-tracking websites showed that the plane was grounded for approximately two hours before it returned to Israel about half an hour past midnight.
Netanyahu secretly flew to Saudi Arabia to meet Mohammed bin Salman (and Pompeo) in Neom — Haaretz. https://t.co/Em4qXZZ9T1
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) November 23, 2020
The jet, according to Haaretz, is the same private plane Netanyahu took several times for his visits to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Arab world normalizing ties with Israel?
The Arab world has recently been seen resolving its conflict with Israel. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) normalized ties in August 2020. Bahrain and Sudan did in September and October respectively. Before August, only two Arab countries had official ties with Israel – Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.
Before that, the Arab state’s official recognition of Israel was conditional on the end of the occupation of Palestinian territories and the establishment of the two-state solution on the 1967 borders.
Read more: Israel reports say PM met Saudi crown prince, Riyadh denies
Analysts believe that the UAE has its eyes set on acquiring the US-made F-35 fighter jets, which could potentially shift the balance of power in the region. Israel is the only country in the region that has F-35s but dropped its opposition to their sale to the UAE after it said the US had assured it that Israeli military superiority would be preserved.
Experts, opinion makers and independent analysts in Islamabad believe that Pakistan’s popular discourse is unlikely to allow it to recognize Israel in the coming few years. It is also important to note the new alliance e.g. Turkey, Iran, and Malaysia as a new powerful bloc in the Muslim world is also playing an important role in Pakistan’s case. Pakistan is likely to stand by Iran and China in the coming years which may result a paradigm shift in Pakistan’s foreign policy with regard to Saudi Arabia.