The Foreign Office announces that the interim Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive in Saudi Arabia tomorrow

Pakistan is not rushing to consider the recognition of the state of Israel; there has been no recent review of Islamabad’s policy towards Tel Aviv.

ISLAMABAD: The interim Prime Minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, is set to embark on a journey to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday (tomorrow) for Umrah.

It remains uncertain whether the caretaker PM will have the opportunity to meet with King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, or Prime Minister Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman during his brief stay in the Kingdom. Such a meeting, if possible, could take place in either the coastal city of Jeddah or the capital city of Riyadh.

Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani is expected to return from New York mid-week.

Sources indicate that the outcome of the high-level meetings held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit, along with the visit to the United Nations, will be assessed in collaboration with other stakeholders to formulate a future strategy later this week.

Meanwhile, Pakistan is approaching the issue of recognizing the state of Israel with caution, and there has been no recent revision of Islamabad’s policy towards Tel Aviv.

The Foreign Office has emphasized that Pakistan has not made any decision to join the reported 6-7 Muslim countries that may recognize Israel following Saudi Arabia’s alleged acceptance of the Jewish state, as hinted by the Israeli foreign minister in an interview with Israel’s Kan News on Friday.

Foreign Office spokesperson Ms. Mumtaz Zehra Baloch stated on Sunday, in response to a query, that she had no information about any developments regarding Pakistan’s stance on the issue.

According to diplomatic sources, Pakistan is closely monitoring developments related to any substantial improvement in relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

It is understood that discussions on the Palestinian issue and Israel have consistently been part of consultations between Islamabad and Riyadh. Sources suggest that the interim government may not be in a position to make a decision regarding the recognition of Israel. While Pakistan does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Israel, senior diplomats have indicated that the two countries maintain an “invisible line of communication” on an as-needed basis.

It’s worth noting that Israel extended its congratulations to Saudi Arabia on the occasion of its 93rd National Day, celebrated on Saturday. The Israeli foreign ministry issued a statement saying, “We offer our sincere congratulations and blessings to the king, government, and people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the occasion of the 93rd national day. May God bring you good and blessings… with our wishes that an atmosphere of peace, cooperation, and good neighborliness will prevail.”

A day prior to this, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during his address to the UN General Assembly, stated, “We are at the cusp of… a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia.” Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman had also mentioned to Fox News that the two countries were drawing “closer” to normalizing their relations. Notably, several Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, normalized their relations with Israel in 2020 under the Abraham Accords.

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman stated that Saudi Arabia was steadily moving closer to normalizing relations with Israel, following similar moves by other Gulf countries. This comes amid significant efforts by the United States to broker a Saudi-Israeli agreement, a development that could reshape Middle East geopolitics.

These normalization discussions are at the core of intricate negotiations, which also encompass potential Israeli concessions to the Palestinians, as well as talks regarding US security guarantees and civilian nuclear assistance sought by Riyadh. Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman emphasized the importance of the Palestinian issue to Riyadh, saying, “We need to solve that part,” when asked about the prerequisites for normalization. He further expressed hope that such an agreement would benefit Palestinians and position Israel as a player in the Middle East. US officials have privately highlighted the potential advantages of a comprehensive regional agreement, which would be a significant foreign policy achievement as President Joe Biden seeks re-election in November 2024.

Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman also indicated that if Iran were to acquire a nuclear weapon, Saudi Arabia would feel compelled to do the same. Saudi Arabia, along with Israel, has long been a rival of Iran, although relations have improved since Riyadh and Tehran agreed to restore diplomatic ties in March.

The broadcast of the crown prince’s remarks followed a meeting between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, during which they pledged to work together toward Israeli-Saudi normalization. Both leaders also emphasized their stance against allowing Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.

This interview with Fox’s anchor, Bret Baier, marked Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman’s first appearance on US TV since 2019. After conducting interviews with various Saudi government and business leaders throughout the week, Baier noted that he had witnessed “tectonic changes at a scale and pace and degree that no country in modern times has seen” in Saudi Arabia, describing these changes as positive. In contrast, Iran has criticized the Saudi-Israeli relations as a “backstabbing” move against the Palestinians.