Pakistan firmly committed to stance on Palestine, Israel: Dar answers question on Abraham Accords

WASHINGTON: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday that Pakistan remained firmly committed to its longstanding position on Palestine and Gaza and that there could be no change in Islamabad’s stance towards Israel without the establishment of an independent Palestinian state. He said this during a press conference at Pakistan’s embassy in Washington after a meeting with Rubio. Dar was asked whether US President Donald Trump had dropped his calls for Muslim countries to join the Abraham Accords as part of a potential deal with Iran. The question arose because Trump did not mention the issue in a statement issued earlier on Friday outlining potential key areas in the deal. DPM Dar did not respond directly to the question. Instead, he said he had reiterated Pakistan’s position during his engagements at the United Nations earlier this week. “Pakistan remains steadfast in its position on Palestine and Gaza,” Dar said, adding that Israel “must move towards the establishment of a Palestinian state” before there could be any change in Pakistan’s stance towards Israel. The Abraham Accords are a set of agreements brokered under Trump in 2020 and govern the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Israel and countries that have historically been hostile to it. In a lengthy social media post , Trump listed on Monday countries whose leaders he spoke with over last weekend about efforts to end the war with Iran. “After all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these countries, at a minimum, simultaneously sign onto the Abraham Accords,” he wrote. “Those countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (already a Member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain (already a Member!),” he added. The nations named by Trump, including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have traditionally advocated for a two-state solu...

Original source: Dawn Pakistan