Afghanistan |
Palestine |
---|
AfghanistanâPalestine relations refer to diplomatic relations between Afghanistan and the State of Palestine.
Afghanistan recognized the Palestinian National Council's declaration of independence in October 1948, making it the first non-Arab country to do so. [1] Afghanistan officially recognized Palestinian statehood on 16 November 1988. [2]
In 2019, Afghanistan donated US$ one million to United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). [3] [4] This was preceded by the United States stopping aid to UNRWA. [5]
Amidst the 2021 IsraelâPalestine crisis, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan expressed its condemnation of Israeli attacks against Palestinians. [6]
In August 2021, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar of the Taliban met with Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas in Doha, Qatar. [7] In October 2022, Taliban official Zabihullah Mujahid met with Ismail Haniyeh in Turkey. [8] Sirajuddin Haqqani, Interior Minister of Afghanistan, met with religious scholars from Palestine in January 2023. [9]
At the onset of the Hamas-Israel war in October, the leaders of Afghanistan, as represented by the Taliban movement, chose to maintain a stance of silence and non-intervention. [10] Taliban denied wanting to join Hamas in the war against Israel. [11] [12] Afghanistan blamed the attacks on Israel violating the rights of Palestinians. [13] Afghanistan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi described Palestinian resistance to Israel as a legitimate attempt to gain freedom. [14] [15]