Jerusalem. The statement given by former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett regarding Pakistan’s nuclear weapons has created a stir in international diplomacy, but has also created trouble for the Shahbaz government of Pakistan. Bennett has directly described Pakistan’s nuclear weapons as a major threat to Israel.
According to media reports, Naftali Bennett’s statement while addressing the conference of presidents of American Jewish organizations in Jerusalem has created a stir in the defense corridors of Pakistan. Bennett said that a new and dangerous alliance is taking shape in the region. Bennett claimed that a new front was forming against Israel, which included Türkiye, Qatar, and the Muslim Brotherhood. The biggest matter of concern is that this alliance has the support of Pakistan, which is armed with nuclear weapons. This coalition led by Türkiye is promoting hostility towards Israel. Describing Turkish President Erdogan as a ‘dangerous adversary’, he warned that ‘Türkiye is now becoming the new Iran’.
After this statement from Israel, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry had to come to the rescue. The Foreign Office spokeswoman described Naftali Bennett’s statement as entirely based on ‘speculation and conjecture’. The spokesperson said that we will not comment on the statement of an official of a country which we do not even recognize. This is a completely absurd statement.
Behind this anger of Israel are some big defense agreements signed in recent times. Pakistan has signed a ‘Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement’ with Saudi Arabia, under which any attack on either country will be considered an attack on both countries. Saudi Arabia has immense money. Turkey has a modern defense industry and drone technology. Pakistan is the only Muslim country to possess nuclear bombs and long-range ballistic missiles. Experts believe that if these three forces come together, it will be a big challenge to Israel’s supremacy.
According to the think tank, due to giving priority to the interests of America and Israel, these countries are now developing new mechanisms to identify their friends and enemies. A large section in Israel believes that Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are more dangerous than Iran’s potential weapons. Israeli media and think tanks have been continuously raising the issue that Pakistan’s nuclear program was funded by Saudi Arabia, hence in case of a crisis, these weapons can act as a ‘nuclear umbrella’ for Saudi Arabia. Pakistan has always officially maintained that its nuclear weapons are only for defense against India, but analysts say that when Saudi Arabia and Pakistan make their alliance public, they give rise to rumors that previously existed only behind closed doors.
