Overview
- Pakistan’s defense minister, Khawaja Asif, posted on X on Thursday calling Israel “evil,” a “cancerous state,” and saying the founders of Israel should “burn in hell,” while alleging “genocide” in Lebanon.
- Israeli leaders condemned the remarks as antisemitic, with the Prime Minister’s Office calling them outrageous and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar saying that labeling Israel “cancerous” amounts to calling for its annihilation.
- Asif deleted the post on Friday after international backlash, as Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, said he was “not a mediator” and U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer called the comments “vile rhetoric.”
- Delegations have arrived in Islamabad for U.S.–Iran ceasefire talks under tight security, and the controversy now clouds Pakistan’s claim that it can host as a neutral party.
- Context from recent reporting notes Pakistan has no formal ties with Israel, there was earlier confusion over whether the ceasefire covered Lebanon, Israel rejects that, and heavy Israeli strikes in Lebanon have caused large civilian casualties.