“How can you sit down with them?”: Pakistan pushes back against Trump’s Abraham Accords call

US President Donald Trump’s reported push for Pakistan to join the Abraham Accords and formally recognise Israel has placed Islamabad in a difficult diplomatic position, forcing it to balance ties with Washington against long-standing domestic and ideological commitments.

Pakistan appears to have signalled resistance to the proposal, with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif rejecting any move that would compromise the country’s “fundamental ideologies.” He reiterated Pakistan’s decades-old position of not recognising Israel and pointed to the country’s passport policy, which excludes Israel as a recognised destination.

Pakistan has never formally recognised Israel since its creation in 1947 and has maintained that normalisation could only be considered if an independent Palestinian state is established on pre-1967 borders.

Trump’s reported remarks revived attention on the Abraham Accords — the US-brokered agreements launched in 2020 to normalise ties between Israel and several Arab states, including the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan.

For Islamabad, the issue presents a diplomatic dilemma. Rejecting Washington’s pressure risks friction with the US, while recognising Israel could trigger significant domestic backlash, particularly from religious groups and political constituencies opposed to such a move.

Pakistan has previously denied any link between its regional diplomatic engagements and the Abraham Accords, insisting that its position on Israel remains unchanged despite shifting dynamics in the Middle East and growing engagement between Israel and some Gulf nations.