Will Pakistan become the next Muslim-majority nation to recognize Israel? Probably not, but if Pakistanis looked at the issue dispassionately, they would see that the exchange of ambassadors with Jerusalem makes perfect sense.
The decisions of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco to normalize ties with Israel have fueled speculation that Pakistan is preparing to do the same. In a television interview in November, Prime Minister Imran Khan talked about being under “pressure” from the United States and unidentified nations “with whom we have good relations” to recognize Israel. Many commentators assumed that he was referring to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
That same month, prominent Pakistani journalists also raised the issue of normalization. Given the sensitivity of the issue and the reluctance of most journalists to risk the military’s discontent, this indicated that Pakistan’s powerful generals probably instructed their spokesmen to make a test balloon float.
But Islamabad is unlikely to advance. In his November interview, Khan said Pakistan’s recognition of Israel would depend on a “fair deal” for Palestinians. In December, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said he told the UAE Foreign Minister that Pakistan “will not and cannot establish a relationship with Israel until a concrete and permanent solution to the Palestinian issue is found. “
Pakistan’s hostility towards Israel is rooted in the Islamic republic’s conception of itself as a vanguard of global pan-Islamism. Overt solidarity with the Palestinians has long been the basis of Pakistan’s foreign policy.