During the meeting of Pakistan Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the US capital Washington, a question caught everyone’s attention. A Pakistani journalist suddenly asked whether Pakistan was ready to recognize Israel. Although Dar and Rubio did not respond at that time, Pakistan later clarified its stand and said that there has been no change in its policy on the Palestine issue.

What did the reporter ask?
During the meeting held in Washington on Friday, journalist Faisal Ali Shah of ‘The Pakistan Daily’ asked loudly, “Will Pakistan recognize Israel?” This question was asked at a time when US President Donald Trump has appealed to many Arab and Muslim countries to normalize relations with Israel. However, neither Ishaq Dar nor Marco Rubio gave any answer to this question during the meeting.

What did Ishaq Dar say later?
Talking to journalists after the meeting, Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan remains firm on its old stand on the issue of Palestine and Gaza. He said Islamabad will not consider any change in its policy towards Israel until concrete progress is made towards the establishment of a Palestinian state. Dar reiterated that Pakistan believes that the Palestine problem should be resolved on the basis of two-nation principle.

#WATCH I have asked Pakistani FM @MIshaqDar50 About @POTUS Demand to Recognize Israel pic.twitter.com/EEbQ0JjCuo

— Faisal Ali Shah (@FaisalzUpdates) May 29, 2026

What are the relations between Pakistan and Israel?
To this day, Pakistan does not recognize Israel as a nation and there are no formal diplomatic relations between the two countries. Pakistan has long supported the Palestinian cause and considers the establishment of a Palestinian state as a necessary condition for establishing relations with Israel.

What appeal did Trump make to Muslim countries?
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he has urged Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Jordan to collectively join the Abraham Accords and establish diplomatic relations with Israel. This initiative is said to be part of a broader effort to reduce tensions related to Iran and increase regional stability. Pakistan has rejected this suggestion, while there is no public reaction from other countries yet.

What are the Abraham Accords?
The Abraham Accord was initiated with the mediation of America during Trump’s first term. Its objective was to normalize relations between Israel and Arab countries. Under this, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco established diplomatic, economic and security relations with Israel. Sudan also joined the process, but has not yet established full diplomatic relations.

Pakistan’s mediation efforts
In recent months, Pakistan has presented itself as a potential mediator to reduce rising tensions in West Asia. However, Army Chief Asim Munir has been seen playing the most prominent role in Pakistan’s initiatives on issues related to Iran. At present, Pakistan’s official stance on the question of recognition of Israel remains unchanged and the government has made it clear that there is no possibility of any change in this direction before the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Trump’s Abraham Accord: Such a dilemma has arisen in front of Pakistan, in which even if it accepts, it will be trapped and if it denies, it will be in more trouble. In fact, US President Donald Trump held a high-level conference call with many countries including Pakistan over the weekend.

According to ‘Axios’, Trump appealed to more and more Muslim countries to join the Abraham Accords after the Iran war, which directly means giving formal recognition to Israel. According to reports, after this proposal there was silence in the call for some time. After this, Trump jokingly asked other countries including Pakistan whether they were still on the line.

Why did Pakistan get stuck?

Actually, Pakistan’s problem is that on one hand it is trying to play the role of peace messenger between America and Iran, while on the other hand this proposal of Trump has put it in a state of confusion. If Pakistan accepts this proposal, it will have to face domestic opposition and compromise with its traditional foreign policy, while its refusal may affect its relations with America. This is why this proposal has become a big diplomatic challenge for Pakistan.

The issue of Palestine has always been very emotional for the people of Pakistan. In such a situation, giving formal recognition to Israel without any clarity would be like sitting on a pile of gunpowder which can explode at any time.

It’s like sitting on a pile of gunpowder for Pakistan.

Both the Pakistan Army and the Shahbaz government know very well that establishing formal relations with Israel could prove to be a politically suicidal move for them.

It is noteworthy that the Abraham Accords were signed in the year 2020 during the first term of US President Donald Trump. At that time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Ministers of United Arab Emirates and Bahrain were also present in the White House along with Trump. However, Pakistan maintained distance from this agreement and expressed its reluctance regarding it, calling it unfavorable for the concept of ‘New Middle East’.

At that time, Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Imran Khan had also refused to join the Abraham Accords, saying that doing so would be against Pakistan’s long-standing support of the ‘two-nation solution’ and its foreign policy principles.

US President Donald Trump on Monday said he has urged Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, including Qatar, to join the Abraham Accords to normalize ties with Israel as he seeks to end the conflict with Iran. Trump also said that he had discussed the issue with several countries on Saturday, and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have already signed the agreement.

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