A row broke out between Israel and Pakistan after Defense Minister Khawaja Asif made remarks targeting Israel’s military operations in Lebanon, which he later deleted amid backlash.Israel sharply criticized the remarks on Thursday, questioning Pakistan’s credibility as a neutral player in ongoing regional diplomacy. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office called the remarks “outrageous” and said “the remarks by Pakistan’s defense minister calling for the annihilation of Israel are outrageous.”
It added: “This is not a statement that any government can tolerate, especially one that claims to be a neutral arbiter of peace.”The dispute comes at a sensitive time, with Pakistan credited with brokering a two-week temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran and preparing to host new peace talks in Islamabad. The incident could complicate those diplomatic efforts.In the now-deleted post, Asif described Israel as “evil” and a “curse to humanity” and called for “getting rid of European Jewry.” He also linked the diplomatic push to developments on the ground, saying “peace talks are ongoing in Islamabad and genocide is occurring in Lebanon.”“Israel is killing innocent citizens, first in Gaza, then in Iran and now in Lebanon, and the bloodshed continues unabated,” Asif said. He added: “I hope and pray that those who created this cancer state on Palestinian land will eradicate European Jewry. [sic] Burn in hell. “
Now deleted: X posts by Khwaja Asif
Separately, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the remarks, calling them a “blatantly anti-Semitic blood libel” and asserting that Israel will defend itself against those who threaten its existence.U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer also criticized Asif’s remarks, calling them “hate speech.”
