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 Israel |  Afghanistan |
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Afghanistan–Israel relations refer to the bilateral ties betweenAfghanistan and the State of Israel. The two countries do not have formal diplomatic relations,[1] and Afghanistan did notrecognize Israeli statehood after it declared independence in 1948.
Zablon Simintov, who lived inKabul and served as caretaker of Afghanistan's only remainingsynagogue, was thought to be the lastJew living in Afghanistan. However, following the2021 Taliban offensive, his relative, Tova Moradi, was declared the last Jew after Simintov was evacuated to Israel with the aid of Israeli businessmanMordechai Kahana on 7 September 2021. Moradi also madealiyah to Israel on 29 October 2021. Simintov's desire to leave Afghanistan stemmed from his concerns of being kidnapped or killed by radicalIslamist terrorist groups such as theIslamic State – KP rather than theTaliban.[2]
In the 1980s, Israel cooperated with the United States, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and other countries as part ofOperation Cyclone, where it indirectly provided armaments to theAfghan mujahideen, who were fighting theSoviet-backed Afghan government as well as the Soviet Union itself. Thousands of mujahideen fighters, particularly from theHezb-e Islami militia ofGulbuddin Hekmatyar, were reportedly trained by Israeli military instructors.[citation needed]Akhtar Abdur Rahman, the then-head of Pakistan'sInter-Services Intelligence, allegedly allowed Israeli personnel into Pakistan during this time.[3]
Historically,Afghan royals have proclaimed an origin story that claims that their ancestor is the prominentHebrew patriarch,Jacob. There are alsoorigin theories among somePashtun tribes that claim their descent fromSaul, the first monarch of theUnited Kingdom of Israel.
In a 2005 interview inKabul with a reporter from the Israeli newspaperYedioth Ahronoth, former Afghan presidentHamid Karzai hinted at a desire to establishformal ties with Israel, stating: "when there is further progress [in theMiddle East peace process], and thePalestinians begin to geta state of their own, Afghanistan will be glad to have full relations with Israel." He also revealed that he had met Israeli politicianShimon Peres several times, and called him a "dear man, a real warrior for peace."[1]
With regards to international relations after theTaliban seizure of Afghanistan in 2021,Taliban spokespersonSuhail Shaheen told the Russian news agencySputnik: "Of course, we won't have any relations with Israel. We want to have relations with other countries; Israel is not among these countries. We would like to have relations with all the regional countries and neighbouring countries as well as Asian countries."[4]
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