Peace agreement between Israel and Arab countries: Is Pakistan making a mistake by not recognizing Tel Aviv?

 

After the UAE, Bahrain has now recognized Israel and the leaders of Israel, the UAE, and Bahrain signed this historic agreement to recognize Israel in the presence of US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Tuesday. Will do The two Gulf states are Saudi Arabia's closest allies and, according to some observers, cannot recognize Israel without Saudi Arabia's full support.

Earlier, flights between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv began following an agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Israeli planes will reach the UAE through the airspace of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Bahrain. Thousands of Israelis and Emirati are looking to fly to Tel Aviv, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. The President of the United Arab Emirates has recently paved the way for the beginning of economic relations with Israel by repealing the resolution of the economic boycott of Israel through a decree. It is unknown at this time what effect the agreement will have on the future of the Palestinians, but the Palestinians have not accepted it. Palestine has also condemned Bahrain for recognizing Israel. It should be noted that Bahrain is the fourth Arab country to recognize Israel. Announcing the Israel-Bahrain Accord in recent days, President Trump said that other Arab countries would soon establish relations with Israel. Israel, like Pakistan, came into being on religious grounds and is known as the first Jewish state in the world. There are indications that Saudi Arabia is moving in that direction, even though it will be a difficult one for the Saudi monarch. In response to a question during the recent election campaign, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden said that if the Jewish-majority state of Israel is recognized by Muslim-majority countries like Pakistan, it would be better for peace. In that case, Israel must also pursue a two-state political solution, namely the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. After the announcement of the recent agreement between the UAE and Israel, the question of Israel was also discussed in Pakistan. Explaining his government's policy, Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly said that Pakistan cannot recognize Israel unless the Palestinian issue is resolved fairly. The idea of ​​recognizing Israel has been coming to Pakistan. Leading defense analyst Ayesha Siddique says Pakistan has had informal relations with Israel at various stages.

In the 1970s, Pakistan bought arms from Israel through Iran. At that time, the Shah of Iran was playing the role of the Prophet of Pakistan. This was also the case during the time of General Zia-ul-Haq. At that time, weapons were bought from the United States and Israel through Pakistan and delivered to Iran. Such informal relations have existed, but the establishment of traditional diplomatic relations was discussed under General Pervez Musharraf.

Pervez Musharraf had addressed the Jewish Conference in the United States. He had sent his foreign minister, Khurshid Mahmoud Kasuri, to Turkey for talks with Israeli envoys, but the talks did not go far enough. A year and a half ago, there was a discussion on this question. That Pakistan had adopted a policy of not recognizing Israel for the sake of the Arab countries and now that the Arab countries are establishing relations with Israel, Pakistan should do the same, ”said Nirupama Subramanian, a foreign affairs analyst in South Asia. Whether it is Pakistan's civilian government or Pakistan's army, whether it is the PPP government or Nawaz Sharif's government, everyone wants the issue to be resolved diplomatically because they now feel that the world Has come a long way. At the same time, Pakistan sees no role for itself in the Middle East.

Religion has dominated Pakistan's decades-long rhetoric on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. In the background, there is a lot of talk about Jewish-Muslim relations. Ayesha Siddique says the problem is very complex in the way we have trained our society. It cannot be solved in a day or two. Whether it is Pakistan's military establishment or the government, the question of recognizing Israel is a huge political and diplomatic challenge for Pakistan. ”Nirupama Subramanian thinks a year ago when the constitutional status of Indian-administered Kashmir was changed. At that time, the people of Pakistan expected from Imran Khan's government that it could go to Kashmir to some extent, but it only fought a verbal battle, which caused a great deal of frustration among the people.

"If Pakistan recognizes Israel at this time or extends a hand of friendship to it, the public will get the impression that Pakistan has sided with the Palestinians. It will be difficult for the government to justify its position. Ayesha Siddique says, "Kashmir and Palestine have connected in a way. These are the same issues. If Pakistan recognizes Israel, the question arises as to how much Pakistan will have to pay for Kashmir. "If you take a step that will help society It can be very stressful, so it can be very costly. I don't think anyone is in a position to make that decision right now. "

There are indications that other Arab countries may recognize Israel in the near future. It is very possible that the long-standing issue of a divided Palestine will be resolved in some form. This changing situation will also have a direct impact on the Kashmir dispute and Pakistan will have to formulate its future strategy now.