New York: US President Donald Trump is encouraging Pakistan to open diplomatic relations with Israel as part of a wider regional strategy linked to easing tensions surrounding the ongoing Iran crisis.
Trump said in a Truth Social post on Monday that “it should be mandatory” for Pakistan to “sign onto the Abraham Accords”, under which Muslim nations recognise Israel.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Egypt, and Jordan are the other countries from which he demanded acquiescence to the Abraham Accords.
Trump presented his demand as a quid pro quo for essentially waging the Iran war, which had been initiated by Israel, and for his attempts now to end it, writing, “after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together”.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which have also been drawn into the Iran conflict, had already signed the Abraham Accords launched in 2020 during Trump’s first term.
It is called the Abraham Accords because Muslims consider the God of the Jewish Prophet Abraham as their own supreme divinity, along with Christians.
Morocco and Sudan are also members of the Accord, while two other countries, Kazakhstan and Somaliland, are reported to have agreed to join it.
Pakistan has a deeply antagonistic relationship with Israel, dating back to its opposition to Israel’s founding and its military support to Arab nations during their wars with Israel.
As it seeks to project itself as a devout Islamic nation and a champion of Muslim countries, Pakistan remains a vocal critic of Israel, accusing it at the United Nations of “mass carnage” against Palestinians and war crimes.
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative at the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, has claimed that Israel used “starvation of civilians as a method of warfare” and that it may “constitute a war crime”.
Against the backdrop of attacks on Israel in international forums and domestic Islamist opposition to Israel, it would be difficult for Islamabad to agree to Trump’s demand.
Trump’s demand for a group of Muslim countries to join the Abraham Accords also complicates the Strait of Hormuz deal.
It introduces a new dimension by making the Accord part of the settlement with Iran, which has stalled over other issues.
“By copy of this TRUTH, I am asking my Representatives to begin, and successfully complete, the process of signing these Countries into the already Historic Abraham Accord”, Trump wrote.
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