“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,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
By United with Israel Staff
Pakistan’s defense minister triggered a firestorm after posting an openly antisemitic tirade against Israel, prompting swift and forceful condemnation from Israeli officials.
In a post on X, Khawaja Asif accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Lebanon before launching into a broader attack, calling Israel “evil” and “a curse for humanity.” The post escalated into explicit antisemitic incitement, declaring that those who created the Jewish state should “burn in hell.”
He further claimed that “innocent citizens are being killed by Israel” across multiple fronts, writing that “first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated.”
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office condemned the remarks as beyond the bounds of acceptable diplomatic discourse, especially from a government positioning itself as a mediator.
The Pakistani defense minister’s call for Israel’s annihilation is “outrageous,” the statement said. “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 Sa’ar issued a similarly sharp response, accusing the Pakistani minister of spreading “blatant antisemitic blood libels” and effectively calling for Israel’s destruction.
“Israel views very gravely these blatant antisemitic blood libels from a government claiming to ‘mediate peace,’” Sa’ar wrote on X. “Calling the Jewish state ‘cancerous’ is effectively calling for its annihilation.”
He added that Israel “will defend itself against terrorists who vow its destruction.”
The post was later deleted by the Pakistani defense minister.
The incident comes at a sensitive moment, as Pakistan is actively mediating talks tied to the broader conflict with Iran, raising serious questions about its credibility as a neutral intermediary following such inflammatory rhetoric.
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