Islamabad, Jan 7 (IANS): Pakistan's former president General Pervez Musharraf has advocated for establishing relations with Israel, saying it could help bring India and Pakistan closer to each other, Geo News reported.

"Israel is a reality and we have to accept it," said Musharraf in an interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz, adding that Pakistan was an ideological state like Israel and having relations with it could help Pakistan.

Musharraf said acceptance of Israel could also help in bringing Pakistan and India closer and stressed that Pakistan should hold diplomatic relations with Israel as it does with various other Muslim countries.

Pakistanis were not anti-Jews but anti-Israel due to Palestine crises, the former Pakistan army chief said and added that his country would continue to support Palestinians' demand for an independent state.

Musharraf, who has been living in self-imposed exile in London, is all set to return home Jan 25 or 27. He is wanted by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan over accusations that he failed to protect former prime minister Benazir Bhutto from being assassinated in December 2007.

Having grabbed power in a bloodless coup in October 1999, Musharraf ruled as chief executive 1999-2001 and as president 2001-08.