From the Liveblog of
Saturday, August 8, 2026
Pakistan’s defense minister says Israel ‘illegitimate,’ calls for ‘united military front’ among Muslim nations amid pact with Saudis, Turkey
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Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif tells a news outlet in his country that “Israel is a threat to the entire Muslim world,” and calls for “a united military front” against it, just a day after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey signed a joint defense agreement.
“In the context of Israel, all Muslim countries must unite. I have no doubt about this,” Asif says.
“Israel is a product of the Balfour Declaration, which was established in the 1940s as an illegitimate state, and it could pose a direct threat to any of the countries in the region,” he adds, referring to the 1917 British declaration of support for the establishment of a homeland for the Jewish People in the land of Israel, which set the stage for Israel’s independence three decades later. Pakistan was similarly established on the basis of a British declaration in 1947, just one year before the founding of Israel.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Israel:
When it comes to Israel, all Muslim countries should come together. There is absolutely no ambiguity in my mind about that.
Given Israel’s current conduct, as well as the historical evidence of what it has been doing—at one… pic.twitter.com/3Uqzo1cdnR
— Clash Report (@clashreport) August 8, 2026
Asif, who has in the past called Israel “evil and a curse for humanity,” and a “cancerous state,” tells the interviewers that his fierce opposition to Israel will not change even if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is defeated in this year’s elections, which are set for October 27.
“No matter who comes to power in Jerusalem – whether it’s [former premier Naftali] Bennett or any other leader – the differences are only marginal,” Asif says.
“Their attitude towards the Palestinians and their anti-Islamic mindset will not disappear. They continue to incite Muslim countries against each other,” he charges, “and as long as the Palestinian issue is not permanently resolved, the Islamic world must stand against them as one.”
The Times of Israel Community.