From the Liveblog of
Friday, April 10, 2026
Israel denounces truce mediator Pakistan after its defense minister calls Israel ‘curse for humanity, cancerous’
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
Israeli leaders denounce Pakistan, which is mediating the US-Iran ceasefire negotiations, after the nuclear-armed country’s defense minister called Israel “evil and a curse for humanity, “cancerous” and “to get rid of European jews.”
In a post on X, Khawaja Asif claimed that as “peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon. Innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated.”
“I hope and pray people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land to get rid of European jews [sic] burn in hell,” he added.
Israel is evil and a curse for humanity, while peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon. Innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated. I hope and pray people who created…
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) April 9, 2026
Responding to Asif, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says his “call for Israel’s annihilation is outrageous. This is not a statement that can be tolerated from any government, especially not from one that claims to be a neutral arbiter for peace.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemns Asif’s “these blatant antisemitic blood libels from a government claiming to ‘mediate peace,'” while echoing the Prime Minister’s Office in saying that “calling the Jewish state ‘cancerous’ is effectively calling for its annihilation.”
“Israel will defend itself against terrorists who vow its destruction,” says Sa’ar.
The Times of Israel Community.