Pakistan rejects Abraham Accords push, says recognition of Israel ‘unacceptable’

ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday firmly rejected any possibility of Pakistan joining the Abraham Accords, declaring that the recognition of Israel was “unacceptable” as it conflicted with Pakistan’s fundamental ideology and longstanding stance on Palestine.

Speaking to a private television channel, the defence minister dismissed reports suggesting any progress or diplomatic engagement regarding Pakistan’s possible inclusion in the US-backed normalization initiative.

“Neither has anyone contacted us from the US State Department nor has anyone conveyed such a proposal officially,” Khawaja Asif said when asked whether Washington or any other party had approached Islamabad on the matter.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s consistent policy, he noted that even Pakistani passports do not recognise Israel.

“Even our passport does not carry the name of Israel,” he remarked.

The minister said the ongoing Israeli actions in Gaza and repeated violations of agreements made any normalization impossible under the current circumstances.

“The Gaza agreement is still being violated. How can we sit with those who are not reliable even for a single day?” he questioned.

Commenting on former US President Donald Trump’s diplomatic style, Khawaja Asif acknowledged that Trump had achieved certain breakthroughs through what he described as an "unconventional approach".

“President Trump has been successful because of his unconventional approach. His peace talks have become successful,” he observed.

The remarks came after Donald Trump stated on Monday that he had urged Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt and Jordan to join the Abraham Accords collectively as part of broader regional diplomacy linked to efforts aimed at ending the Iran conflict.

Trump said he had discussed the matter during conversations with leaders of several countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain — both of which had already signed normalization agreements with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework.

However, Pakistan swiftly rejected the proposal, while none of the other countries publicly responded to Trump’s remarks.

Analysts believe public sentiment in Muslim-majority countries remains strongly opposed to normalization with Israel due to the scale of the ongoing military offensive in Gaza.