Considering the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Arab world remained on the forefront in diplomatic and military interventions with Egypt and Jordan playing the most crucial roles. Their normalisation of relations with Israel in 1979 and 1994, respectively, have had their own limitations with the status quo remaining more or less intact.
It was perceived that the recent Abraham Accords would extend Israel’s outreach in the Muslim world beyond certain geographical boundaries and result in wider recognition given its emboldening ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Morocco and Bahrain.
Notably, Oman and Saudi Arabia were expected to do the same but held back despite discreet diplomatic ties. Moreover, it was expected in certain circles that Pakistan would join the ranks as well but nothing of the sort took place. For the past couple of years, reports in Israeli and Pakistani media were signalling to such a moment but Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Foreign Office refuted them publicly.
While such refutals should usually be taken with a pinch of salt, it seemed as if the Khan government was being pressurised through subtle means but held its ground steadfastly. Most journalists were adamant that Khan would be the first Pakistani leader to recognise Israel but here we are.
What sections of the media did not understand is how Khan has averted a greater diplomatic blunder by not falling for the bait. Neither the local environment nor regional conditions would’ve allowed for Pakistan and Israel to exchange ambassadors.
Shouldn’t concrete steps be taken to ensure a two-state solution without equating valid criticism of the Israeli government with anti-Semitism? No religion or ethnic group should ever be singled out but when it comes to states, their actions should always be scrutinised without any qualms
Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and Occupied Palestinian Territories have similar yet tragic stories to present to the international community. Had the Khan government chosen to take steps that are against ethical norms then its case for Kashmir would have taken a massive toll. Of course, it’s a separate story that the PTI’s Kashmir diplomacy wasn’t up to the mark with only global media platforms being useful in presenting facts on ground. Short answer is limitations owing to New Delhi’s strong economic and political clout despite its leadership ardently following the footsteps of Nazism.
Nevertheless, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s politically-motivated decision (owing to his potential ouster from premiership) to initiate a one-sided war with the people of Gaza and harass residents of occupied East Jerusalem was perhaps his worst one ever in recent memory. Not only did it cause the global narrative to shift in favour of the Palestinians (as discussed in my previous Op-ed) but also rallied a great number of governments and journalists around the world to speak against Israel’s fascist and illegal steps that were nothing short of war crimes.
The situation was unusual to such an extent that Pakistan and Turkey joined hands together to initiate a diplomatic onslaught via the United Nations. There was a near unanimous criticism of Israel’s actions at the emergency UN General Assembly (UNGA) session held last week but it wasn’t fully reported to the outside world. Of course, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s UNGA speech and interview with CNN became the talk of the town. However, the interview was misconstrued to a much greater degree since his remarks about Israel (though not named directly) were sadly conflated with anti-Semitism by the host. While it caused several US and Pakistan-based academics and journalists to jump the gun, the reality is that Qureshi’s stance was concise in presenting the case of Palestinians and that he never condoned anti-Semitism.
Now the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) adoption of a Pakistan-tabled resolution to investigate Israel’s war crimes is a major diplomatic win that should be appreciated regardless of all the imperfections of the Pakistani diplomatic apparatus.
EU member states which often talk about justice and human rights ironically chose to either reject or abstain the resolution which was passed by 24 member states. This should have been their primary task at the forum but it seems that they’re being held hostage by the Israelis.
As for America’s role, the less said the better when it comes to the injustices being faced by the Palestinians (and even Kashmiris). Harvard academic Stephen M Walt’s latest piece in Foreign Policy magazine on the reasons America should step away from blindly supporting Israel should provide a detailed picture on how the Biden administration failed in its task to uphold true justice for the Palestinians. Its actions were meant to maintain a status quo but futile diplomacy and indifference caused more harm than good for its global image given the narrative favouring the Palestinians. Of course, Secretary of State Antony Blinken embarked upon a shuttle diplomacy mission to the Middle East but would it always be like this after letting the Palestinians be maimed for only seeking basic rights in their own homeland?
Shouldn’t concrete steps be taken to ensure a two-state solution without equating valid criticism of the Israeli government with anti-Semitism? No religion or ethnic group should ever be singled out but when it comes to states, their actions should always be scrutinised without any qualms.
Pakistan’s steps under the leadership of PM Khan and FM Qureshi should be applauded when it comes to defending the Palestinians. He was like a guardian angel for them. It should remain a strong indication for sceptics and detractors that ties with Israel won’t initiate under his watch unless a two-state solution is on the table. Of course, the case for Kashmir should be equally given much attention but one step at a time in a world where morality and justice are on decline.
But Khan must be warned that a blowback would be hard from Israel-influenced groups who are likely looking to bring him down after these steps. When the Hadid sisters, Dua Lipa and former AP journalist Emily Wilder can be targeted through subtle yet open means then it becomes clear how things could turn out for him as a global leader.
The writer is Associate Editor (Diplomatic Affairs), Daily Times. He tweets @mhassankhan06