Pakistan’s Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jalil Abbas Jilani, asserted Thursday, September 28th, 2023, that Pakistan will not follow other countries in normalizing relations with ‘Israel’.
During a news conference in the capital Islamabad, Jilani uncovered his country’s position regarding the Israeli occupation of Palestine, saying Islamabad’s stance on The Israel-Palestine issue is “very clear” and “it will remain in the future as well.”
Jilani thereby rejected media claims that Pakistan has the intention to establish ties with ‘Israel’, adding that the “Palestinian issue is very much part of our national interest like Kashmir.”
Pakistan seeks full right to self-determination for Palestinians as it demands for Kashmiris, he added, calling for establishing an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and the pre-1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.
This is not the first time that Islamabad has reaffirmed its position on normalization of relations with ‘Israel’.
In 2020, Former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi confirmed Pakistan’s rejection of recognition of ‘Israel’ until a permanent and tangible resolution to the Palestinian issue is reached.
Qureshi’s statements came after ‘Israel’ inked agreements to normalize relations with the United Arab Emirates, and later with Bahrain, in September 2020. Sudan later also announced its approval of normalization with Tel Aviv. Morocco took a similar step in December of the same year.
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