Israel on Thursday sharply criticised remarks by Khawaja Asif, questioning Pakistan’s credibility as a neutral player in ongoing regional diplomacy. The response came after Asif posted a series of comments on social media targeting Israel. Reacting to those statements, the PMO said, “Pakistan Defence Minister’s 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,” it added.The controversy comes at a sensitive moment, with Pakistan having been credited with brokering a temporary two-week ceasefire between the United States and Iran, and preparing to host fresh peace talks over the weekend. It emerged when Asif, in his remarks, described Israel as “evil” and a “curse for humanity”, and called “to get rid of European Jews”. He also linked the ongoing diplomatic efforts to developments on the ground, saying, “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 unabated,” Asif had said. “I hope and pray that the people who created this cancerous state on Palestinian land to get rid of European Jews [sic] burn in hell,” he added. Separately, Israeli foreign affairs minister Gideon Sa’ar also condemned the remarks, stating, “These blatant antisemitic blood libels from a government claiming to mediate peace.” “Israel will defend itself against terrorists who vow its destruction,” Sa’ar said.