Israeli leaders overnight Thursday denounced the government of Pakistan, which is mediating the US-Iran ceasefire negotiations, after the country’s defense minister called Israel “cancerous.”
In a post on X, Khawaja Asif wrote, “Israel is evil and a curse for humanity,” and asserted that “as peace talks are underway in Islamabad, genocide is being committed in Lebanon.”
Israel has been fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon since March 2, when the Iran-backed terror group started attacking the Jewish state with rockets and drones in support of its Iranian sponsor. Iran and Lebanon openly seek to destroy Israel.
“Innocent citizens are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, bloodletting continues unabated,” Asif continued.
“I hope and pray people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land to get rid of European jews [sic] burn in hell,” he said.
Get The Times of Israel’s Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Responding to Asif, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the “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.”
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif:
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… pic.twitter.com/mpKbLN3yRI
— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 9, 2026
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar condemned the “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,” said Sa’ar.
Israel’s Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter also denounced the post, writing on his own account: “The Ayatollahs chanted ‘Death to Israel’ — and now a so-called ‘mediator’ is echoing the same language. You are not a mediator Mr. Asif, you are the problem. Even if it is to your dismay, Israel is here to stay. That’s not for negotiation.”
Asif later deleted the post, without offering an apology or explanation.
Pakistani official Khawaja Asif leaves the Parliament after attending a session that discussed recent Indian strikes, February 26, 2019, in Islamabad, Pakistan. (AP/BK Bangash)
Pakistan succeeded in brokering a ceasefire between the US and Iran on Tuesday by crafting a last-minute bridging proposal, two government officials familiar with the negotiations told The Times of Israel on Thursday.
Pakistan has no diplomatic relations with Israel. It voted against the establishment of modern Israel at the UN in 1947, does not recognize Israeli sovereignty, and says it will not do so until a Palestinian state is established along the pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital. During a visit to India in 2018, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We are not enemies of Pakistan and Pakistan should not be our enemy either.”
Negotiations between the US and Iran are set to begin in Islamabad on Saturday, with US Vice President JD Vance leading the American delegation, alongside Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Israel will not be present at the talks.
The Wall Street Journal reported early Friday that the Iranian delegation had landed in Pakistan, and that it was led by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf.
Semi-official Iranian media reported denials from the regime that officials had gone to Islamabad, according to the Journal.
US President Donald Trump watches Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif delivering a speech at the Gaza International Peace Summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, Oct.13 2025. (Yoan Valat, Pool via AP)
The government of Israel, which will not be represented in Pakistan, said it supported the truce agreement and called off its own military actions in the campaign it had launched together with the US on February 28.
The military operation had the stated goals of degrading the Iranian regime’s military capabilities, distancing threats posed by Iran — including its nuclear and ballistic missile programs — and “creating the conditions” for the Iranian people to topple the regime.
Netanyahu has sought to shoot down the notion that he was caught off-guard by the truce, while touting the campaign so far and stressing that Israel is ready to resume combat operations at any moment.
However, opposition leaders have accused him of letting Israel get cut out of the decision-making process, with Opposition Leader Yair Lapid dubbing the truce a “diplomatic disaster” and former premier Naftali Bennett charging that “the leadership sold us illusions.”
Three separate polls released Thursday showed that a slim majority of Israelis oppose the ceasefire and less than a third support it.
You appreciate our wartime journalism
You clearly find our careful reporting of the Iran war valuable, at a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically during this ongoing conflict.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you’ll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel