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Yousuf Abd Al-Karim Al-Zinkawi, a writer for the Kuwaiti-based Al-Seyassah newspaper has called for Arab and Muslim countries to “immediately recognize Israel," telling them to drop monikers used to maintain the pretense of non-recognition such as “the Zionist entity."

Al-Zinkawi, a frequent critic of religious intolerance within the Arab world, dedicated his column on Saturday to the long-standing refusal of most Arab and Muslim countries to recognize the State of Israel, MEMRI reports.

Pointing out the hypocrisy of Arab states who have indirect ties with Israel and who sit in the United Nations, where an Israeli delegation enjoys full recognition, Al-Zinkawi called for the Arab world to end the charade and acknowledge Israel’s existence.

“All those Arab and Islamic states that do not recognize Israel, if they have courage, let them stand before the members of the UN General Assembly, or in a session of the [UN] Security Council, and declare that they do not recognize Israel.”

Arab and Islamic countries must be pragmatic towards Israel, Al-Zinkawi writes, citing Qatar and Oman as examples.

“Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman deal with the reality of Israel pragmatically, and recognize that it is a fait accompli that we cannot ignore. In 1996, both of them established Israeli trade representations,” wrote Al-Zinkawi.

“The countries that have established ties with Israel understood reality as it was and took active steps to deal with it. The first and foremost of them is Qatar, which recently hosted a beach volleyball tournament, in which Israel took part a few days ago."

"If for decades we have been maintaining indirect ties with Israel, by means of Israeli companies that [operate under the flags of] other countries – and most Arab and Islamic companies and businessmen are aware of this ridiculous reality – why should we keep up this political charade, and until when?”