The Zionist Entity’s Concerns as it Watches Afghanistan A Look Around “Israeli” Media

These and other questions stemming from the same events were discussed in an article published in Kassioun two days ago, titled “10 Questions Posed by Afghanistan to the World, Our Region, and Our Country”. Here we will only focus on the Afghani questions through the lens of the Zionist entity, and specifically in its media.

While the “Israeli” media did not ask the abovementioned questions quiet so bluntly, it is clear that they are pondered implicitly in an attempt to figure out the answers thereto and know the supposed next steps, especially since the Zionist entity is not just any ally of the US on the one hand, and on the other hand, “the circle of expected withdrawals”, if it can be called so, implicitly includes the entity.

Based on a number of articles from different Hebrew media outlets, published between August 15 and 20 (links to these articles and other similar ones), the immediate and most recurring concerns can be summarized as follows:

“We cannot depend on the US”

This is probably the most prominent heading in the majority of the articles, whether implicitly or explicitly stated, such as the recurring idea of the need to be ready to “go to war alone”.

In an article in “Maariv” newspaper about an interview with Amos Yadlin, a former general in the IAF and former head of the IDF military intelligence directorate (Aman), the main question was whether the US disengagement from the Middle East will harm “Israel”, in light of its withdrawal from Afghanistan. The article does not provide a direct response to the question, but statements throughout indicate that “Israel” does not only feel the US could potentially turn its back on it but that it also has to think about how to deal with that. With regards to a question about Iran’s nuclear capability, Yadlin says “It would be very good if Israel did not stand alone on the front of the stage… Israel must first of all maintain its independent option, but it must be a last resort”.

He adds “We never asked the Americans to be here to protect us. So even if they leave, nothing will change… What happened to Afghanistan will not happen to Israel. Is the weakening of the US good for Israel? No. When the US declares that it is disengaging from the Middle East, it is not good for Israel. But we are not in an Afghan situation, we are a strong country, we have an alliance with the US, it helps us and we help it, but it does not fight for us. It will not make a unilateral decision that it is leaving us alone”. The contradictions in this are striking, where the author starts with reassuring that a US departure will not change anything, then seems to be saying the opposite by the end of the paragraph.

In another article published on the “Israel Defense Magazine” website, the author from the outset states that the “failure in Afghanistan is the latest nail in the coffin for pushing the US to further reduce its military involvement in the Middle East. Relying on the US as a deterrent could prove fragile”.

It is not difficult to pick up on the implication from the phrasing. Presenting the issue as if the US is being pushed to reduce its intervention in the Middle East, expresses two things together: the first is betting or pushing towards relaying the idea that this position and this behavior are not those of the US, which means that it can be modified (especially since the nail in the coffin is the latest according to the writer and not the last); and the second is that that push – if it does not express the will of the US, as the author implied – comes from the Biden administration, and not from the US, which in the author’s mind has become an idea more than a tangible reality with a specific administration and specific policies.

The author further clarifies the meanings he is trying to relay when he refers the withdrawal from Afghanistan to the rise of the isolationist trend that stands against military involvement in other countries while the other trend, the interventionalist, that supports such involvement is on the decline.

The author goes even further in explaining the internal American division, confirming that the reasons leading to the US’s pull out of the region, also indicate that “Israel’s strategic importance is in a dramatic decline” and that “the power of the Jews in the US as influencers for the benefit of Israel is losing momentum and even among the Jews Israel is becoming a controversial issue”.

The author adds: “The US post-Afghanistan alliance is moving away from involvement in the Middle East and at least in one scenario its support for Israel is unclear. In fact, even in an Iranian-initiated offensive against Israel, it is difficult to anticipate the US response”.

An article published in the “Israel Hayom” newspaper repeats the same recipe, where the author holds Biden individually and solely responsible for the events unfolding in Afghanistan, which falls within the framework of what we have previously discussed about dealing with an imaginary and abstract United States to escape the recognition of the new realities.

“Israel” is demanding independence!

It is quite ironic, and one of the virtues of the American retreat, to hear authors from a colonial entity that occupies the land of others, raising their voices demanding their independence from the US.

Of course, these demands come within the necessities of “self-reliance”, in light of the expected absence of the official sponsor. Nevertheless, it is not completely void of a truth that we are not discussing here, that is, the truth that the Zionist entity represents in a way multiplied colonialism, as a direct settlement on the land with all that comes with this form of colonialism, and as an advanced base for the center of international plundering and bullying on the other hand.

Going back to our topic, we quote a journalist who asks disapprovingly: “How much Israel must continue to strive for complete independence in everything related to its strategy in the field?” This appeared in an article published on the “Makor Rishon” website, which its author concluded with a question of an even more epic nature: “The question is whether there is light at the end of this tunnel?”, in reference to the consequences due to the weakening US presence in the region.

Arthur Lenk, a former “Israeli” diplomat says in a tweet: “The USA is our closest ally. They have been there for Israel time and again over the years. But the horrific events in Afghanistan must be a hard, scary lesson about changing interests and cold, hard calculations. Dangerously, in 2021, self-reliance is more important than ever”.

He then adds in a follow-up tweet, in which he says: “But self-reliance doesn't mean do whatever you want. Doesn't mean Israel is alone and friendless. Need to protect partnerships, relationships, alliances and reputation. But have to have a plan for a rainy day when all of the above might fail.”

“How are we going to deal with Iran?”

The above general concern of the US not being dependable and having to be prepared for its retreat, is nearly always discussed in the context of the “threat of Iran”.

Referring to the “Israel Defense Magazine” article above, the concern about Iran is clear from the title itself: “Following the abandonment of Afghanistan, Israel cannot trust the US in the confrontation with Iran”. The author notes: “Of particular importance is the question of a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran, since the IDF has been built in recent years on the premise that it faces a reality of low-intensity combat with guerrilla forces. A missile attack will suffice that will destroy infrastructure and shut down the economy for many months”.

Interestingly, one article published in the “Israel Hayom” newspaper focused on the enmity and points of divergence between the Taliban and Iran. The author suggests that “it is not inconceivable that Israel, through its Gulf partnerships, will try to indirectly influence the Taliban – and establish its own presence in Afghanistan” and “may use Qatar, the country that hosted the talks in which it sought to reach a political settlement between the Taliban and the Afghan government… in order to create roads to Afghanistan under Taliban control”.

“What about Palestine”?

If the “Israeli” concerns about Iran and the region at large are clear, then it is a fortiori that its concerns over the land it directly occupies are the most urgent and stormiest, and the truth is that this is indeed the case.

It was also clear in many articles we came across that the search for the repercussions of the Afghan events on the Palestinian land was a primary concern, in an attempt to predict and anticipate what might happen.

According to one article in the “Israel Hayom” newspaper, the US tried in 2013 to persuade “Israel” to copy the Afghan model, and then-Secretary of State John Kerry offered to take then-“Israeli” PM Benjamin Netanyahu to Afghanistan for a visit to illustrate what the US has achieved with the Afghan army in an attempt to convince him that the US could train Palestinian security forces to shoulder protecting certain parts of the Occupied Territories.

In another article in the same newspaper, the author says “the billions being poured into the Palestinian Authority without control and the aid money to Hamas in Gaza. And here the central question arises - how to properly manage the construction of institutions in a country that is supposed to become independent, in such a way that it will not end in terror and tragedy?”

The question, despite the familiar propaganda it contains, expresses a real fear on the Afghan background that all those “fortifications”, “empowerments”, “trainings”, and “armament operations” that the US supported as factors of reassurance and stability, are now raising concerns, including the “security coordination” forces, whether through their inability to suppress the Palestinians, or simply their collapse and division.

Immediate economic effects

The issue of the immediate economic effects of the Afghan events on the entity was not a very common theme in the discussions over the last week and did not get as much coverage, either because there is greater appetite for security and political aspects or because there is not a lot of detailed information about “Israeli” economic issues relating to Afghanistan, especially that a significant portion thereof seems to be related to intelligence.

One article in “Israeli” business newspaper, Calcalist (كالكاليست) touched on this issue. According to the article, it “is estimated that the US and its allies have purchased more than $1 billion in Israel equipment for the long-running battle against the Taliban, and the ties formed between them and the Israeli industries have opened the door to additional deals that have already been signed and will be signed”. This means, as the article notes, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan has “implications for Israel’s defense industry”, as “this is the end of a war that has provided them with quite a bit of work in the last 20 years”.

Many of the countries involved in Afghanistan increasingly purchased or lease “Israeli” military equipment, and with that also came hiring of “Israeli” experts who provided training as well as remote support for using the purchased or leased equipment. Among the customers were the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Holland, and Spain.

Links to the articles used and other relevant articles, with the publication dates:

After the withdrawal from Afghanistan: Will the US disengagement from the Middle East harm Israel? (20 August 2021)

And thanks to the Taliban: Israel’s arms business in Afghanistan (20 August 2021)

His truth, our danger (19 August 2021)

Following the abandonment of Afghanistan, Israel cannot trust the US in the confrontation with Iran (18 August 2021)

Netanyahu: “Kerry’s message was clear, ‘Afghanistan model’ also in the Palestinian issue” (18 August 2021)

Kerry to Netanyahu in 2013: “You will learn from our conduct in Afghanistan” (17 August 2021)

Afghanistan is here (17 August 2021)

The American weakness in Afghanistan will cost Israel dearly (16 August 2021)

Israel may try to influence what is happening in Afghanistan (15 August 2021)

The collapse of the Afghan army: Israel is trying to prevent embarrassment from Washington (15 August 2021)

Afghanistan debacle message for US allies, including Israel (15 August 2021)

(Arabic version)