Tel Aviv Updated: Nov 19, 2023
A Pakistani boy adjust national flags of the country on its Independence Day/Representative Photograph:(Reuters)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Israel-Hamas war: The report points to a double-standard, unique
Pakistan is said to be supplying 155mm shells to Israel amid its war with Hamas despite Islamabad's longstanding support to Palestinian cause and specific opposition to the existence of the state of Israel. An account on X, formerly Twitter, cited flight-tracker data to claim that a British Air Force plane flew from Bahrain to Nur Khan base in Pakistan's Rawalpindi, and reached an allied base in Cyprus via Oman.
British Royal Air Force's Akrotiri base in Cyprus has emerged as an international military hub to supply ammunition to Israel amid war with Hamas.
Earlier, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that over 40 US transport aircraft, 20 British transport aircraft and seven heavy transport helicopters flew to RAF Akrotiri carrying equipment, arms and forces.
US planes landing at Nevatim Air Force Base – located in southern Israel near the Negev desert – have delivered arms for the Israel’s military, Haaretz also reported. Furthermore, the US aircraft have landed at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv have carried, among other things, armoured vehicles.
What does it mean?
Pakistan is one of the few countries in the world that does not recognise Israel. At the time of its inception in 1947, Pakistan voted against the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. The backpage of a Pakistani passport infamously comes with a cautionary note that 'this passport is valid for all countries of the world except Israel'.
Also watch | Reports: Pakistan steps up arms supply to Ukraine | Russia-Ukraine War
The Pakistani government has maintained throughout that it will not pursue a normalised relationship with Israel until the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as the Palestine's capital city.
But there has been a history of Pakistan reaching out to Israel via Turkey.
In 2009, Wikileaks reported that Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI had cautioned Israel against an upcoming terrorist attack in Mumbai -- the 26/11 attacks -- when Pakistan-based terrorists also targeted a Jewish cultural centre.
Following the success of the Abraham Accords in 2020, ousted Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed that the United States and "at least one other country" had been putting increased diplomatic pressure on Islamabad to normalise ties with Israel.
Between Ukraine and Israel: The 155mm factor
Pakistan is a producer of the types of basic munitions needed for ground assaults.
In September 2023, a report in The Intercept had claimed that secret Pakistani arms sales to the US helped Islamabad facilitate a much-contested bailout from International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The arms sales were reportedly made for the purpose of supplying the Ukrainian military with 155mm shells among others.
This claim was specifically denied by Islamabad, as it emphasised its policy of 'strict neutrality' in Russia-Ukraine war.
Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
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