Should Pakistan recognize Israel?

By Farrukh Khan Pitafi



Israeli citizens were among the victims of the ruthless butchery of the Mumbai attacks. Israel could have very conveniently succumbed to the Indian warmongering against Pakistan. Yet it did not. The Israeli government was really cautious and restrained in blaming any country for this open genocide. A few days after the attacks the Israeli Ambassador to New Delhi Mark Sofar made some very keen observations.



Urging India to employ only pacifist means vis-a-vis, he maintained that there was no comparison between Israel’s action against Hezbollah hideouts and Indian desire to carry out surgical strikes on Pakistani soil. “It will be wrong to take a response of one part of the world to extrapolate immediately to somewhere else,” he said. Such sane talk is need of the hour for hawks on both sides of the border are egging their governments on, to wage full blown war. This indeed is not the voice of a foe. It has never occurred to any of our anti-Semitic firebrands that Israel and Pakistan have much in common. Need more proof?



Consider this quote from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh bible, We, or, Our Nationhood Defined by M. S. Golwalkar: “To keep up the purity of its race and culture, Germany shocked the world by her purging the country of the Semitic races — the Jews. Race pride at its highest has been manifested here… a good lesson for us in Hindustan to learn and profit by.” In other words India is being advised to take a leaf out of Hitler’s anti-Semitism. Both Israel and Pakistanhave faced huge challenges since their very birth and both want acceptance of their right to exist in hostile regions.



Pakistan Israel relations have never been exemplary. Both countries have tried to keep their interactions hidden from the wider audience. However, Sofar has summed up this relationship in a nutshell: “We have had from time-to-time contacts, here and there with Musharraf, who met, and the previous Pakistani foreign minister who met the previous Israeli foreign minister, but to talk of any meaningful relationship between Israel and Pakistan is really way off the ball and nowhere near where we are… Israel had a lot to offer to Pakistan … the decision is in its court and it clearly has decided to go elsewhere.”



It is astonishing that while Pakistan does not officially recognize the state of Israel, the passports of the Pakistani citizens single it out as the only prohibited place and hence recognizing it by default. Again it is beyond my comprehension why at time when Muslim countries like Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Qatar have relations with Israel and even Saudi Arabia is mulling over possibilities of establishing contacts, in Pakistan we have done nothing to build a relationship.



Apparently this boycott of reason stems from the desire to see the resolution of the Palestinian issue. Yet it has quite correctly been pointed out by Israeli leaders that in the absence of bilateral relations between the two statesPakistan has no locus standus on the matter. If Pakistanis want to play a more constructive and proactive role in the matter it logically follows that we do what is due. If recognizing Israel is the logical step to take it is reasonable to ask ourselves what are we bound to lose in case we go ahead and establish formal relationship.


Rationally speaking we hardly have anything to lose. Granted that there can be a backlash from the rightwing elements in the country but that already exists as a permanent feature in this country. It is true that some among the Arab citizens may not consider it too much friendly a gesture but I am sure the Arab states will understand the compulsions.

With our Arab brothers this understanding is mutual. For instance you’ll remember that when King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was the crown princePakistan used to be most hospitable and respectful host. But many in Pakistan were highly disconcerted when despite full understanding of the Indo-Pak tensions after assuming the throne the first thing the Saudi King did was to accept the Indian invitation to be the guest of honour at its national day parade even before visiting our country. But the attitude of Pakistani government was realistic and tolerant.


On the other hand Pakistan is bound to gain a lot from this quite reasonable choice. During the current Indo-Pak standoff we have not heard even a word of reason from any Muslim country. No Muslim country has advised Indiapublicly to show restraint. Pakistan stands today highly isolated on the world stage. One by one we are losing all diplomatic levers and even old friends likeChina find it difficult to come to our rescue. It is time to give up the ridiculously contradictory policy and embrace true diplomacy. In fact when Pakistandecided to a part of the war on terror and inadvertently brought the war to its own soil, any justification or defense for this contradictory mentality were lost.



Pakistan had consciously chosen to be a modern state rather than opting to transform into a medieval polity. While some of the methods of the past government might be wrong this choice was indeed correct.



Pakistan stands today on the same forked path where it stood at its very inception. For sixty three years Pakistan has allowed ideational contradictions and total denial of realities to cloud its judgement. If the correct decision is delayed any further our strained polity may not be able to sustain the weight of denial any further. We need strong modern allies whose relationship can actually benefit us rather than pulling us down the retrogressive path.



And let us see it this way. There is nothing wrong in our collective desire to see the Palestinian issue resolved. However our current state of suspended animation has hardly ever helped the cause of our Palestinian friends. IfPakistan has formal relations with Israel, it can play a more proactive role in the resolution of the Palestinian issue and the protection of the Al Aqsa Mosque. While our recognition of Israel would not mean total adherence to its stand on the Palestinian issue, we need to admit that Israel being a democracy is open to the positive influences of moderation. When we have nothing to lose, what qualms do we have in exploring what Mr Sofar promises when he says, “Israel had a lot to offer to Pakistan“?