Renewed debate has emerged across Pakistan and the wider Muslim world after US President Donald Trump publicly linked a possible agreement with Iran to broader participation in the Abraham Accords framework.
In recent remarks, Trump stated that countries including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkiye, Egypt, and Jordan should join the Abraham Accords as part of a broader regional realignment connected to ongoing negotiations with Iran.
The comments have triggered renewed discussion in Pakistan regarding the country’s longstanding position on Palestine and normalization with Israel.
Pakistan’s official policy has consistently supported the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital.
Commenting on the issue, prominent international lawyer and founder of Courting the Law, Barrister Taimur Malik, stated:
“Pakistan can’t be forced to decide such matters by any world power and an independent State of Palestine has been a longstanding cornerstone of Pakistan’s foreign policy. The people of Pakistan and her institutions will never accept ceding such position under pressure.”
Malik further argued that Pakistan’s position was grounded not only in political history and public sentiment, but also in international law principles relating to self-determination and the inadmissibility of acquisition of territory by force.
He noted that the Palestinian right to statehood has repeatedly been recognised through resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council, including support for a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
Other prominent Pakistani voices also reiterated similar positions following Trump’s remarks.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif stated that Pakistan could not become part of any arrangement that “clashes with our fundamental ideologies,” while reaffirming support for a Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States, Maleeha Lodhi, has also repeatedly argued in recent international interviews and policy discussions that durable peace in the Middle East cannot emerge without recognition of Palestinian national rights and the implementation of relevant UN resolutions.
Similarly, former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has consistently called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for Palestinian self-determination at international forums, including the United Nations.
Regional dynamics remain equally complex. Saudi leadership previously stated that while Saudi Arabia was open to normalization discussions, any such move would require a “clear path” toward a two-state solution and Palestinian statehood.
US Senator Lindsey Graham, meanwhile, publicly supported Trump’s proposal, calling the potential inclusion of countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan in the Abraham Accords “transformative for the region and the world.”
Analysts note that Pakistan’s Palestine policy has historically enjoyed broad consensus across political parties, religious groups, civil society, and major state institutions, making any dramatic policy shift politically difficult.
The latest debate comes amid wider geopolitical uncertainty involving ongoing US-Iran negotiations, discussions over Gulf security architecture, and Washington’s renewed efforts to expand the Abraham Accords framework across the Muslim world.
