Israel Condemns Pakistan as Unfit Mediator After Defense Minister Issues Antisemitic Slurs and Annihilation Threats

Israel’s leadership rejects Pakistan as a neutral peace mediator after Defense Minister Khawaja Asif calls the Jewish state "cancerous" in a public outburst.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 9, 2026, 6:09 PM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from The Times of Israel

Diplomatic Fallout Over Inflammatory Ministerial Rhetoric

The fragile landscape of Middle Eastern diplomacy faced a severe setback on April 10 as the Israeli leadership issued a blistering condemnation of Pakistan. The diplomatic rift was ignited by Khawaja Asif, Pakistan’s Defense Minister, who utilized social media to label Israel "evil and a curse for humanity" while calling the nation "cancerous." These remarks have cast a shadow over Islamabad’s ongoing efforts to serve as a mediator for high-stakes ceasefire negotiations between the United States and Iran, prompting Israeli officials to question the integrity of the entire peace process hosted in the Pakistani capital.

Netanyahu Rejects Pakistan as Neutral Peace Arbiter

In an official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Benjamin Netanyahu described the defense minister’s rhetoric as an outrageous call for the destruction of a sovereign state. According to the Prime Minister, such vitriol is fundamentally incompatible with the responsibilities of a government claiming to facilitate regional stability. The Israeli administration argued that a country cannot effectively mediate peace while its senior leadership publicly prays for the creators of the Israeli state to "burn in hell," a sentiment expressed by Asif in his controversial post on X.

Accusations of Blood Libel and Antisemitic Narrative

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar joined the condemnation, characterizing the statements from Islamabad as blatant antisemitic blood libels. Sa’ar emphasized that referring to the Jewish state as a "cancerous" entity that was established to dispose of European Jews is not merely a political critique but an ideological call for annihilation. According to the Foreign Minister, these remarks reveal a deep-seated bias that undermines the neutrality required for international mediation, particularly as Asif accused Israel of committing genocide in Lebanon and Gaza simultaneously with the peace talks.