Pakistan has asked the international community for aid, but Israel -- which is highly experienced in disaster rescue and recovery -- and Pakistan have no formal diplomatic relations.
Last month Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon shook hands with Pakistani President Musharraf during a "chance" meeting in the halls of United Nations. The handshake followed the first public meeting in August between the Israeli and Pakistani foreign ministers.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom sent a letter to his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid M. Kasuri on Sunday, expressing Israel's condolences and offering "to help in any way possible and share its experience in dealing with such disasters," a government statement said.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said after the earthquake, Israel had proposed giving support to both India -- also affected by the earthquake -- and Pakistan.
"We held discussions with India and they said that they don't need the help," and are in fact themselves offering help to Pakistan, Regev said.
"With Pakistan we don't have formal diplomatic relations," Regev said. According to Regev the offer has not been rejected but Israel has not yet heard whether Pakistan will accept Israel's aid.
Regev tried to disconnect Israel's offer of aid and whether or not it is accepted from the recent rapprochement between the two countries.
"Israel and Pakistan are on a positive movement in their relationship. The meeting was important between the foreign ministers," he said.
Israel is usually one of the first countries in the region to offer aid to its neighbors - whether or not they have diplomatic relations -- at times of natural disasters.
In 2003, Israel offered aid to earthquake victims in Iran. But the offer was rejected.
After the tsunami in January, Israel sent a planeload of supplies to Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, which has no formal relations with the Jewish state, Regev said.
Last month, the Israeli and Indonesian foreign ministers held an unprecedented meeting at the United Nations, but Regev said he would not connect the tsunami aid to the meeting. It was probably more related to the disengagement, he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other officials were given an unprecedented, warm welcome at this year's U.N. General Assembly, which met on the heels of Israel's disengagement pullout from 21 Gaza Strip and four northern West Bank settlements.
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