Afghanistan–Israel relations

Afghanistan–Israel relations

Afghanistan
Israel

Afghan-Israeli relations are officially non-existent today, as there are no diplomatic exchanges between the two states, but there has been secret and unofficial relationships between two establishments in terms of security, intelligence, and other areas since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. One of the motive behind possible secret relationships is the presence of many Afghan Jews in the high-ranking places in Israel. For example, Yoram Cohen, the head of Shin Bet is an Afghan, who immigrated to Israel in after the invasion of the Soviet Union to Afghanistan.

History

During the 1980s, Israel provided armament and training to mujahideen forces who were fighting the Soviet-backed Afghan government. Thousands of mujahideen fighters, particularly from the Hezb-e Islami faction of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, were trained by Israeli instructors. The head of Pakistan's ISI agency, Akhtar Abdur Rahman, apparently allowed the Israeli trainers into his country.[1]

In a 2005 interview in Kabul with a reporter from the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronoth, Afghan President Hamid Karzai hinted at a desire to establish formal ties with Israel.[2] When "there is further progress [in the Mideast peace process], and the Palestinians begin to get a state of their own, Afghanistan will be glad to have full relations with Israel," he said. He revealed that he had met Shimon Peres several times, and called him a "dear man, a real warrior for peace."[2]

Jews of Afghanistan

The Jewish community of Afghanistan dates back thousands of years.[3] When the state of Israel was created in 1948, the population of Jews in Afghanistan was around 50,000. Many began leaving Afghanistan for the new state. Afghanistan was the only Muslim country that did not revoke citizenship when Jews left for Israel. Afghans moved to Israel based on the promise of the Holy Land.[3] The remaining families fled to the United States in the wake of the Soviet invasion of 1979. Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union a few weeks after the Bactrian Hoard, also known as Bactrian Gold, was first discovered.[4] At least one Afghan Jew, Zablon Simintov, remains today in Kabul.[5][6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Hilali, A. Z. US-Pakistan Relationship: Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2005. p. 124
  2. 1 2 Tarzi, Amin (5 November 2005). "Afghanistan: Might Warmer Relations With Jerusalem Cool Kabul's Relations With Tehran?". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Retrieved 2013-10-29.
  3. 1 2 Heller, Aron (January 3, 2013). "Afghan Genizah Manuscripts Revealing Jewish Presence Unveiled At Israeli Library". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
  4. ↑ Krastev, Nikola (June 19, 2007). "U.S.: Afghan Jews Keep Traditions Alive Far From Home". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). Retrieved 2013-09-07.
  5. ↑ Aizenman, N.C. (27 January 2005). "Afghan Jew Becomes Country's One and Only". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
  6. ↑ Motlagh, Jason (September 1, 2007). "The last Jew in Afghanistan". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 26, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.