Even the idea of asking the question of establishing diplomatic ties with Israel can be deemed as treading on uneven ground. Not many dare to address the subject, at the very least in Pakistan without facing severe criticism spearheaded by the political and religious clergy. Even the mere mention of the name Israel is a huge taboo within the country, let alone acknowledging her existence and discussing diplomatic norms with them. Irrespective of this lets examine the facts here.
Pakistan's Israel policy is in fact hostage to our clergy and it's influenced politics to begin with. The universal reply to all the above facts by the Pakistanis is usually under the influence of the false narratives of the clergy, is that by doing so, we would be betraying the Islamic cause. In this instance the Quran will always be quoted: [5;52] O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for friends... This verse is often taken out of context and misused by fanatics. The question to be asked is if this is the case then why does Pakistan maintain deep rooted diplomatic ties with the Christian majority states? For example the EU or most significantly USA, which also happens to be the primary beneficiary of the State of Israel. Pakistan accepts aid and privileges from these countries and the majority of Pakistanis would be more than willing to become citizens of these nations.
The hypocrisy of the Pakistani religious establishments is the biggest reason for not allowing ties with Israel to be established in which Israel is presented to the people as a hideous monster. No Pakistani ever dares to ask their religious leaders the fundamental question: Why Pakistan must never recognize Israel's existence irrespective of having normal ties with Christian states? The answer is because most of these religious leaders and scholars along-with their families reside in these Christian states and benefit from their social welfare systems. Children of these anti Israel religious political leaders from Pakistan study at the top EU/US universities and establish businesses there. If this is so, then why can similar relations regarding diplomacy and trade not be established with Israel?
For how long can Pakistan remain hostage to the influences of the Arab-Persian proxy wars fought on her grounds? Even though Pakistan is the strongest Islamic country based on it's military, yet it's complete clergy is sponsored and funded by either Saudi Arabia or Iran depending upon their respective sects. The same clergy in turn sells the respective imported ideologies of their sponsors in Pakistan. This creates sectarian strife paid for by the blood of the Pakistani's and spread the anti-Semitic school of thought which strictly opposes establishing diplomatic and trade ties with Israel.
The Palestinians never supported the Kashmir cause while their leaders sided with India more than with Pakistan. Having said that, it does not imply that Pakistan must not support the Palestinians on humanitarian grounds making it even more important that Pakistan has a diplomatic channel to convey her grievances to Israel and put any reasonable pressure on the country. The State of Israel have never directly threatened Pakistan but sides with India under the continuous rhetoric by Pakistani Mullahs who state that: " Israel must be wiped off the map" using Pakistani atomic arsenal. Who are these hard line fanatics humouring with such childish hate mongering? and what reason does Pakistan have to attack Israel?.
Israel holds a dominant geopolitical influence in the Middle East and the strongest possible lobbying strength in the USA. Through the act of antagonizing Israel and not acknowledging its existence, Pakistan is closing her eyes to an established reality. A reality, which won't change but only haunt us more if we continue to ignore it further.
By establishing normal diplomatic relations with Israel, Pakistan would be able to project her soft image in the world while countering the Indian proxy war against Pakistan in which currently Israel indirectly supports India. Pakistan will also gain leverage to fight the case of Palestine more effectively with Israel by establishing direct communications channels through diplomacy with Israel. Pakistan could benefit greatly with the mentioned diplomatic ties with Israel through trade and commerce exchanges as and when such mutual relation flourish.
While it would be too optimistic to expect the deep rooted Israeli lobbying apparatus in the USA to support Pakistan in the beginning, but only the ceasing of any opposition by the Israeli lobby in the USA to the Pakistani causes means rich policy dividends for Pakistan by the US and the west. By establishing diplomatic ties with the State of Israel, Pakistan would send out a strong message to the world, that as an independent strong Muslim State, Pakistan's foreign policy is free of any external influences or dictates.
Although, a very bold and aggressive idea to some, it needs to be adopted positively for the sake of the Pakistani state, which can no longer afford to remain hostage to an extremist fundamentalist ideology which supports intolerance and promotes hatred. The Saudi and Iranian sponsored Mullahs in Pakistan can take their respective agendas and ideologies back to their sponsor states and keep it there. Pakistan must emerge from the shadows of it's past, wherein the Jihadi ideologies used to fight the cold war were promulgated to such an extent that it destroyed the very fabric of the Pakistani society. While Pakistan emerges victorious as the only country in the globe which has been able to defeat a full blown insurgency, it must make its mark by creating an independent foreign policy, free from religious prejudices. As it was the same religious prejudices which got us stuck into this mess of religious fundamentalist terror, promoting a culture of intolerance and hatred.
The benefits of Pakistan establishing diplomatic ties with the state of Israel for all the mentioned reasons and more are fully visible. Israel was created on May 14th 1948, nine months after Pakistan due to the same desire for religious freedom and a homeland created in the name of their respective religions. A paragraph of particularly wise words addressed to the nation of Pakistan by Muhammad Ali Jinnah on 14th August 1947 comes to mind. Although directed towards the country, the actions can also have the desired outcome if extended internationally as well, especially in the case of ties with Israel.
- The State of Israel is a reality in the shape of her geographical existence.
- The Palestinian people sold their lands to the Jews themselves for the state of Israel to exist.
- The holocaust did occur and the result was a natural process, in which the Jews required an independent state to live their lives in peace and practice their religion.
- Pakistan was created by the Muslims of the Indian sub-continent under similar ideological grounds as the Jews when Israel was created.
- Israel faces an existential threat from her neighbours just like Pakistan.
- Israel does commit atrocities on its Palestinian population who refuses to abide by the rule of "might is right". Any country in the world does that to maintain its control, like Turkey does with the Kurd population.
- Many Muslim countries have established normal diplomatic ties with the State of Israel including Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and all Muslim Central Asian Republics.
- By establishing normal diplomatic channels with the State of Israel, Pakistan would get the means of communications required to fight the Palestinian cause and take up their case directly with the Israeli authorities.
- If Pakistan can have diplomatic relations with India with whom it has fought three all out wars and with whom they are still fighting a proxy war with, why can't we establish ties with the state of Israel with which we have never fought a war or have any direct conflict?
Pakistan's Israel policy is in fact hostage to our clergy and it's influenced politics to begin with. The universal reply to all the above facts by the Pakistanis is usually under the influence of the false narratives of the clergy, is that by doing so, we would be betraying the Islamic cause. In this instance the Quran will always be quoted: [5;52] O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for friends... This verse is often taken out of context and misused by fanatics. The question to be asked is if this is the case then why does Pakistan maintain deep rooted diplomatic ties with the Christian majority states? For example the EU or most significantly USA, which also happens to be the primary beneficiary of the State of Israel. Pakistan accepts aid and privileges from these countries and the majority of Pakistanis would be more than willing to become citizens of these nations.
The hypocrisy of the Pakistani religious establishments is the biggest reason for not allowing ties with Israel to be established in which Israel is presented to the people as a hideous monster. No Pakistani ever dares to ask their religious leaders the fundamental question: Why Pakistan must never recognize Israel's existence irrespective of having normal ties with Christian states? The answer is because most of these religious leaders and scholars along-with their families reside in these Christian states and benefit from their social welfare systems. Children of these anti Israel religious political leaders from Pakistan study at the top EU/US universities and establish businesses there. If this is so, then why can similar relations regarding diplomacy and trade not be established with Israel?
For how long can Pakistan remain hostage to the influences of the Arab-Persian proxy wars fought on her grounds? Even though Pakistan is the strongest Islamic country based on it's military, yet it's complete clergy is sponsored and funded by either Saudi Arabia or Iran depending upon their respective sects. The same clergy in turn sells the respective imported ideologies of their sponsors in Pakistan. This creates sectarian strife paid for by the blood of the Pakistani's and spread the anti-Semitic school of thought which strictly opposes establishing diplomatic and trade ties with Israel.
The Palestinians never supported the Kashmir cause while their leaders sided with India more than with Pakistan. Having said that, it does not imply that Pakistan must not support the Palestinians on humanitarian grounds making it even more important that Pakistan has a diplomatic channel to convey her grievances to Israel and put any reasonable pressure on the country. The State of Israel have never directly threatened Pakistan but sides with India under the continuous rhetoric by Pakistani Mullahs who state that: " Israel must be wiped off the map" using Pakistani atomic arsenal. Who are these hard line fanatics humouring with such childish hate mongering? and what reason does Pakistan have to attack Israel?.
Israel holds a dominant geopolitical influence in the Middle East and the strongest possible lobbying strength in the USA. Through the act of antagonizing Israel and not acknowledging its existence, Pakistan is closing her eyes to an established reality. A reality, which won't change but only haunt us more if we continue to ignore it further.
By establishing normal diplomatic relations with Israel, Pakistan would be able to project her soft image in the world while countering the Indian proxy war against Pakistan in which currently Israel indirectly supports India. Pakistan will also gain leverage to fight the case of Palestine more effectively with Israel by establishing direct communications channels through diplomacy with Israel. Pakistan could benefit greatly with the mentioned diplomatic ties with Israel through trade and commerce exchanges as and when such mutual relation flourish.
While it would be too optimistic to expect the deep rooted Israeli lobbying apparatus in the USA to support Pakistan in the beginning, but only the ceasing of any opposition by the Israeli lobby in the USA to the Pakistani causes means rich policy dividends for Pakistan by the US and the west. By establishing diplomatic ties with the State of Israel, Pakistan would send out a strong message to the world, that as an independent strong Muslim State, Pakistan's foreign policy is free of any external influences or dictates.
Although, a very bold and aggressive idea to some, it needs to be adopted positively for the sake of the Pakistani state, which can no longer afford to remain hostage to an extremist fundamentalist ideology which supports intolerance and promotes hatred. The Saudi and Iranian sponsored Mullahs in Pakistan can take their respective agendas and ideologies back to their sponsor states and keep it there. Pakistan must emerge from the shadows of it's past, wherein the Jihadi ideologies used to fight the cold war were promulgated to such an extent that it destroyed the very fabric of the Pakistani society. While Pakistan emerges victorious as the only country in the globe which has been able to defeat a full blown insurgency, it must make its mark by creating an independent foreign policy, free from religious prejudices. As it was the same religious prejudices which got us stuck into this mess of religious fundamentalist terror, promoting a culture of intolerance and hatred.
The benefits of Pakistan establishing diplomatic ties with the state of Israel for all the mentioned reasons and more are fully visible. Israel was created on May 14th 1948, nine months after Pakistan due to the same desire for religious freedom and a homeland created in the name of their respective religions. A paragraph of particularly wise words addressed to the nation of Pakistan by Muhammad Ali Jinnah on 14th August 1947 comes to mind. Although directed towards the country, the actions can also have the desired outcome if extended internationally as well, especially in the case of ties with Israel.
" If you will work in co-operation, forgetting the past, burying the hatchet, you are bound to succeed. If you change your past and work together in a spirit that everyone of you, no matter to what community he belongs, no matter what relations he had with you in the past, no matter what his colour, caste or creed... there will be no end to the progress you will make "
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Pakistan should establish relations with Israel because Israel is the mirror of Pakistan. Israel belongs to Jews, jews lived there for thousands of years, they have culture and language. And Pakistan belongs to Punjabis, Sindis, Balouchis and Pashtoons, each of them has a rich culture, a heritage and their history in those lands is as much old as the lands. Palestinians claim that Jews do not belong in holy land and they should be threw away into the sea, on the other hand Indians claim that Pakistanis are Arabs, they came to rule us and then they torn our mother land, and now they should have vacant this land. Palestinians do their best to murder Jews on the other hand Indians are planning to nuke entire Pakistan.
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