The current conflict between Israel and Hamas has brought to the forefront a myriad of issues and even more questions. The unsettling images on the ground reveal that these hostilities could easily become more bloody. As more information emerges, this situation could also highlight the implications of military decisions made by the U.S. government, namely the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
When President Joe Biden decided to remove U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2021, it was hailed as being the right decision. However, the execution of the withdrawal left much to be desired, to say the least. Indeed, the disaster resulted in even more carnage and the death of American troops. But the fact that the government left behind caches of weapons and other equipment could possibly have even more far-reaching consequences -- especially in the clash between Israel and the Palestinians.
A Newsweek report from June details a conversation with a commander in the Israeli military who worried that the weapons left in Afghanistan could have wound up in the hands of Israel’s enemies.
A high-ranking Israel Defense Forces (IDF) commander has told Newsweek that Israel is concerned over the risks of weapons provided by the United States and other Western nations to Ukraine ending up in the hands of Israel's foes in the Middle East, including Iran.
With experts too backing these worries, the situation could mark yet another chapter in a long legacy of U.S. arms shipments being diverted, empowering adversaries of both Israel and the U.S. in another restive region, while the focus of Western governments is on the volatile conflict playing out in Eastern Europe.
While much of the focus is on Ukraine, the commander also expressed concerns that at least some of the American weapons left in Afghanistan might have gone from the Taliban to Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
More recently, the Taliban secured a substantial arsenal of U.S. weapons and equipment, including Black Hawk helicopters, after U.S. forces withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021. The Israeli commander with whom Newsweek spoke said some of the U.S. small arms seized in Afghanistan have already been observed in the hands of Palestinian groups operating in the Gaza Strip.
Of course, it is important to stress that it is not yet known where Hamas’ weapons are coming from. Iran has been supplying the terrorist organization with weapons, funds, and other resources to aid in its ongoing effort against Israel. Yet, given the concerns expressed by the Israeli commander, as well as others, it is entirely possible that Hamas operatives could also be using American weapons in its offensive against Jerusalem.
While U.S. government officials maintain that it has exercised control and accountability over the dispersal of the arms provided to Ukraine, emerging facts on the ground could easily tell a different story as the conflict rages on. As Israel deals with this current conflict, the specter of American weapons possibly contributing to its enemies looms large. This could wind up being a tragic story of unintended consequences given the possible loss of life that lies ahead.
As the world watches the unfolding hostilities between Israel and Hamas, the possibility that the U.S. could have inadvertently armed the terrorist organization further underscores the impact of the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan.