Recently The Jerusalem Post article, in an overview of relations between the Muslim world and Tel Aviv, had alluded to the potential role of the incarcerated politician in the normalisation of ties with Israel.
However, the cricketer-turned politician has described those criticising him on the basis of the article published in the Israeli newspaper as “naive”, and said that he stood by his earlier stance on Israel.
He noted that the article had only mentioned his reputation in the Muslim world and Western countries.
He said that Israeli forces were committing genocide of Palestinian people and added that a dialogue with Israel could only start after a ceasefire.
When Israel’s brutal invasion of Gaza has resulted in the death of over 43,000 people mostly women and children since October last year, the newspaper published a rather optimistic opinion piece about the "growing" recognition of the Zionist state in the Muslim world.
As per the article penned by Harry Richer, people such as Imran Khan can play a central role "in changing both public opinion and military policy" in Pakistan towards Israel.
The article contended that Pakistan has maintained a policy position that was pro-Palestinian for a long time but "recent years have seen an occasional sign of its desire to improve relations with Israel".
Titled "Redrawing Israel’s geopolitical map on Abraham Accords’ anniversary", the article reads: "Former prime minister Imran Khan – despite his strong rhetoric against Israeli policies – hinted at Pakistan needing to forge its own foreign policy path. This was particularly pertinent at a time when the rest of the Muslim world began to normalize ties with Israel on the basis of self-interest.”
It also referred to the PTI s phenomenal performance in the February 8 general elections, and said the influence of Imran Khan or perhaps the emergence of another like-minded and equally pragmatic leader could bring opportunities for reevaluating the extent to which Pakistan can afford to reconsider its historic hostility toward Israel, particularly in the face of its ongoing deep economic crises.
