International
oi-Prakash KL
Israel
has
cleared
that
it
will
not
allow
Pakistan
to
play
an
role
in
Gaza
transition
force.
The
statement
comes
a
day
after
Islamabad
became
a
part
of
20
countries
that
signed
the
‘Board
of
Peace’
charter
under
US
President
Donald
Trump’s
plan.
Speaking
to
NDTV
at
Davos,
Israel’s
Economy
Minister
Nir
Barkat
said,
“Any
country
that
supported
terror
is
not
welcome…and
that
includes
Pakistan.”
Israel’s
Economy
Minister,
Nir
Barkat,
stated
that
Pakistan
will
not
be
allowed
to
participate
in
Gaza’s
transition
force,
citing
Pakistan’s
support
for
terror,
and
warned
Iran
of
retaliation.
Barkat
also
emphasized
that
Israel’s
focus
is
on
defense
and
expressed
hope
for
eventual
reconciliation
while
dismissing
the
two-state
solution
as
unrealistic.
The
minister
has
also
warned
Iran
of
strong
retaliation
if
provoked
again.
Barkat
said,
“We
targeted
them
once,
we
hit
them
hard,
and
if
they
try
to
pick
a
fight
with
us,
we’ll
hit
them
harder
seven
times.”
Barkat
accused
Tehran
of
being
the
driving
force
behind
instability
in
the
Middle
East.
“Iran
has
been
the
head
of
the
evil
axis,” he
said,
pointing
to
its
support
for
Hamas
in
Gaza,
Hezbollah
in
Lebanon,
and
its
arsenal
of
ballistic
missiles
aimed
at
Israel.
He
argued
that
Israel’s
recent
military
response
had
exposed
Iranian
vulnerabilities:
“We
dramatically
crippled
them…
and
demonstrated
they’re
not
as
strong
as
they
thought.”
Despite
the
tough
rhetoric,
Barkat
emphasized
Israel’s
focus
remains
defensive.
“The
Israeli
interest
is
to
defend
Israel.
If
they
propose
a
threat,
we
will
hit
them
hard.
If
they
want
to
overthrow
their
regime,
that’s
their
business,”
he
said.
Referencing
Israel’s
peace
treaties
with
Egypt,
Jordan,
and
the
Abraham
Accords,
Barkat
expressed
hope
for
eventual
reconciliation.
“If
and
when
Iran
changes
direction
and
seeks
peace
with
Israel,
we’d
be
happy
to
collaborate,”
he
noted.
He
also
praised
the
Trump
administration’s
peace
framework
as
“a
better
alternative
than
the
UN,
which
is
biased,”
and
highlighted
cooperation
with
Arab
leaders
in
Hebron
as
a
model
for
Gaza’s
future
governance.
Barkat
dismissed
the
two-state
solution
as
unrealistic,
citing
near-unanimous
opposition
in
Israel’s
parliament.
“The
Palestinian
Authority
wants
a
state
in
order
to
destroy
us,”
he
said.
On
international
peacekeeping
proposals,
he
drew
a
firm
line:
“We
will
not
accept
the
Qataris,
the
Turks…
and
that
includes
Pakistan.
They’ve
been
very
supportive
of
the
jihadi
organization
in
Gaza,
and
we
will
not
trust
them
having
boots
on
the
ground.”
Although
the
Trump
administration
extended
invitations
to
nearly
60
nations-including
major
powers
such
as
India
and
China-fewer
than
20
ultimately
took
part
in
the
Davos
launch.
Those
who
joined
are
entering
a
body
where
permanent
membership
is
said
to
come
with
a
staggering
$1
billion
price
tag.
In
October,
Israel
and
Hamas
formally
endorsed
Trump’s
peace
initiative.
So
far,
the
countries
that
have
accepted
the
invitation
to
join
the
board
include:
Argentina,
Albania,
Armenia,
Azerbaijan,
Bahrain,
Belarus,
Bulgaria,
Egypt,
Hungary,
Indonesia,
Jordan,
Kazakhstan,
Kosovo,
Morocco,
Mongolia,
Pakistan,
Qatar,
Saudi
Arabia,
Turkey,
the
United
Arab
Emirates,
Uzbekistan,
and
Vietnam.
However,
India,
though
invited,
has
not
issued
a
response
to
the
invitation.
