Afghanistan-Level Crisis Averted in Israel
The world is watching the plight of Afghanistan, which fell under the control of the Taliban, a terrorist Islamist militia group. The Taliban took over Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, this past weekend as the U.S. withdrew its forces after 20 years stationed in the country attempting to build a democracy. As ugly as the scene in Afghanistan is, it could have grown even worse: Israel could have been left to the same fate.
In 2013 then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry devised a model for a solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one that involved former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visiting Afghanistan. Essentially, the U.S.’s “Afghanistan model” that failed this weekend was the same one the U.S. wanted to use between Israel and the Palestinians as well, The Jerusalem Post said. Netanyahu “politely declined” and predicted that Afghanistan would fall once the U.S. pulled its troops out, which came to pass this weekend.
“An Islamist extremist regime conquered Afghanistan and will turn it into a terror state that will endanger the world,” Netanyahu wrote on Facebook. “We will get an identical result if, God forbid, we give parts of our homeland to the Palestinians. The Palestinians will not establish Singapore, they will establish a terror state in Judea and Samaria, a short distance from Ben-Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, Kfar Saba and Netanya.”
The fiasco validates Netanyahu’s belief, which he stated: “We cannot depend on others to protect our security. We must protect ourselves, by ourselves, against any threat,” he added.
It’s fortunate for Israel that Netanyahu had the foresight to shoot down Kerry’s idea before it grew legs and could have ultimately led Israel down the same path as Afghanistan. But it’s tragic to read about and watch Afghans living in great fear of their new reality of being ruled by Taliban terrorists. How heartbreaking it would be to see God’s chosen nation suffer the same fate! We’re thankful God has shielded Israel and provided for them not to have to rely on other nations for their security, and we pray for the safety of Afghanistan in this dark time.
