It’s time for Imran Khan to accept Israel is here to stay

‘Our stand on Israel is clear,’ Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan said this week. ‘We cannot recognise Israel until Palestinians get their right’, he said. For Khan, the UAE’s deal with Israel – which will inevitably lead to more Muslim states formalising relations with Israel – counts for little. But Khan is no stranger to volte-faces. It’s time for him to make another one – and formalise ties with Israel.

Pakistan was actually closer to recognising Israel this time last year, in the aftermath of India scrapping the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, than it is today. Many politicians in Pakistan came to realise that if the Arab states aren’t backing Pakistan’s Kashmir narrative and are actually enhancing relations with India, Pakistan should have no obligation to boycott Israel. But the last twelve months have led to setbacks in securing any move towards a break in the deadlock.

Pakistan’s foreign policy has undergone a major reshuffle over the past couple of weeks, spearheaded by an unprecedented clash with Saudi Arabia over the inaction of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Kashmir.