‘We are witnessing the rise of a new axis,’ says Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli amid Netanyahu criticism
Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli. PHOTO: ANADOLU AGENCY
“The Türkiye-Qatar-Pakistan axis is worrying” for Tel Aviv, an Israeli minister said on Wednesday.
“We are seeing the rise of a new axis,” Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli said in a speech on Israeli radio 103 FM, adding that the three countries helped shape the recently announced deal between the United States and Iran.
“The agreement that is emerging is worrying, and the least of my worries is the rehabilitation of the Iranian economy,” he added.
His comments come amid strong criticism in Israel of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom opponents accuse of failure, saying US President Donald Trump excluded him from negotiations with Iran to end the war.
Washington and Tehran concluded a temporary truce on April 8 thanks to Pakistani mediation before announcing a framework agreement on Monday to end the conflict. The deal is expected to be officially signed in Switzerland on Friday.
Israeli government ministers have publicly expressed their opposition to the deal.
There was no immediate response from Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan to Chikli’s remarks.
The three countries supported diplomatic solutions to resolve the U.S.-Iran conflict and efforts to promote regional stability.
Iran-US deal ‘bad for Israel,’ says Israeli finance minister
The US-Iran deal reached under Pakistani mediation is “bad for Israel and for the entire free world”, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Monday.
“The joint campaign has had many results in terms of weakening Iran, and they will not be in vain,” he said on the American social media company X.
“We will have to continue the campaign to overthrow the regime ourselves and creatively, and ensure that Iran will never have nuclear weapons,” he added.
Asserting that Tel Aviv will be tested in Lebanon, Smotrich said he will “continue to act” to give the Israeli army “complete freedom of action to continue to push back Hezbollah.”
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that a peace deal with Iran had been reached. The agreement provides for an end to the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to the US naval blockade against Iran.
Despite this announcement, the Israeli army continued to launch airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Monday.
Israeli attacks have killed more than 3,700 people, injured nearly 11,500 and displaced more than 1.5 million people since March 2, according to Lebanese officials.
