Israel sharply criticized Thursday’s comments Khawaja AsifTo question PakistanIts credibility as a neutral player in ongoing regional diplomacy. The response came after Asif posted a series of comments on social media targeting Israel. Responding to those statements, the PMO said, “Pakistan’s Defense Minister’s call for Israel’s destruction is outrageous.“ “This is not a statement that can be tolerated by any government, especially not one that claims to be a neutral arbiter of peace,” it said.The dispute comes at a sensitive moment, with Pakistan credited with brokering a two-week temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran and preparing to host new peace talks over the weekend. This came after Asif described Israel as “evil” and a “curse to humanity” in his remarks, and called for “getting rid of European Jews”. Linking the ongoing diplomatic efforts to developments on the ground, he said, “While peace talks are going on in Islamabad, genocide is being carried out in Lebanon”. Asif had said, “Innocent civilians are being killed by Israel, first Gaza, then Iran and now Lebanon, the bloodshed continues.” “I hope and pray that those who have created this cancerous state on Palestinian land will get rid of the European Jews [sic] Burn in hell,” he added. Separately, Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Gideon Sa’ar also condemned the comments, saying, “These are blatant anti-Semitic blood libels from a government that claims to mediate peace.” “Israel will defend itself against terrorists who swear by its destruction,” Saar said.