An organization of American Jews celebrated the first cargo of food goods from Pakistan that was unloaded in Israel on Thursday, a report from Voice of America (VOA) has stated.
Fishel BenKhald, a Pakistani-Jewish businessman, and three Israeli businessmen were engaged in the transaction this week, according to a statement released by the American Jewish Congress from its New York offices.
BenKhald maintains a kosher certification company for food producers who export their goods to countries around the globe from Karachi, the country’s capital and biggest metropolis. On Tuesday, he tweeted about the unusual mutual commerce.
The merchant uploaded a film of his products, which included dates, dry fruit, and seasonings, being sold in a market in Jerusalem. Since then, the video has received more than 640,000 hits.
It is time for both nations to start a conversation, and this citizen-to-citizen interaction could be crucial in drawing the two nations closer together, Zameer Ahmed Malik told VOA. The rare trade was not quickly addressed by Pakistani authorities.
The American Jewish Congress stated that “trade exhibits hosted by the UAE helped Pakistani and Israeli businessmen conclude a deal that enabled this week’s shipment from Pakistan to Israel.”
VOA has stated in its report that Israel that is generally believed to possess nuclear weapons, and Pakistan is a recognized nuclear state. Since the two countries’ foreign ministers last convened in public in 2005, they have met in private to discuss matters of security. Right-wing parties and Islamic organizations in Pakistan strongly resist establishing bilateral relations with Israel because of the Palestinian problem.
Pakistani nationals are not permitted to travel to Israel because their passports plainly state that they are valid for all other countries in the globe besides Israel.
BenKhald was one of a small group of Pakistanis who travelled to Israel last year on an unusual occasion and toured the Western Wall, a Jewish prayer spot in Jerusalem. A group of American Muslim women activists and an Israeli organization that supports relations with Muslim nations collaborated to organize the 15-member group, which was made up mainly of Americans from Pakistan who travelled on their American IDs.
