Pakistani Minister's Deleted Post Criticizes Israel Amid Peace Talks

Pakistan's Defence Minister, Khawaja Asif, published and later deleted a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, in which he described Israel as "evil" and a "curse for humanity." The post was made just hours before US and Iranian delegations were scheduled to arrive in Islamabad for peace talks facilitated by Pakistan.

"While peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon. Innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated. I hope and pray people who created this cancerous state on Palestinians land to get rid of European jews burn in hell.”

These statements followed Israeli strikes in Lebanon on Wednesday, which reportedly resulted in over 200 fatalities and more than 1,000 injuries. The attacks drew condemnation from various international figures, including European leaders and the UN human rights chief, Volker Turk.

International Reactions

The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office characterized Asif’s comments as “outrageous” in a post on X, noting, “This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar added that Israel “views very gravely these blatant antisemitic blood libels from a government claiming to mediate peace,” interpreting the term “cancerous” as a call for Israel's annihilation.

Context of the Peace Talks

Islamabad is set to host US and Iranian delegations, with talks aimed at addressing the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, for which a tentative ceasefire was reached on Wednesday.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, indicated on Friday that Iranian delegates would not participate in the peace talks unless the ceasefire agreement was extended to Lebanon.

A Pakistani official involved in the mediation stated, “Our priority is that the talks go smoothly,” emphasizing Pakistan’s role as a facilitator and mediator. Pakistan has also been engaged in its own conflict with Afghanistan since February 27, which is being mediated by China.

Background on Khawaja Asif

Khawaja Asif, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League party, has a history of criticizing Israel. On March 3, he described Zionism as “a threat to humanity” on X, asserting that Zionist ideology and the state of Israel were directly or indirectly responsible for catastrophes and wars in the Islamic world.