Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif has called for a “united military front” against Israel, calling it “a threat to the entire Muslim world”.

In an interview with Pakistan’s Geo News, shortly after the country signed a landmark defence agreement with Turkey and Saudi Arabia, Asif said: “Given Israel’s current conduct, as well as the historical evidence of what it has been doing, at one stage, in 1948 or 1947, what I consider an illegitimate state came into being. It was, I believe, a product of the Balfour Declaration.”

“During that period as well, fighting continued and the Palestinians continued to resist. So, in my view, this is at the very least a situation that the entire Islamic world will have to come together and confront.”

“In my view, there is no room for disagreement on this. Until the issue of the Palestinian people is resolved according to their aspirations, the issue will remain,” he added.

He said the “anti-Palestinian and anti-Islamic nature” of the Israeli state "would not change, irrespective of who comes to power".