The withdrawal from Afghanistan will ultimately benefit Israel because it frees up resources that can be used to support the Jewish state, White House officials said on Tuesday.
“If anything, the end of America’s military involvement in Afghanistan frees up resources and attention and ultimately allows us to better support our partners like Israel,” the Times of Israel cited one unnamed official as saying.
According to the officials, President Joe Biden’s administration sees the withdrawal as an opportunity to reinforce U.S. commitment to regional allies “in the backdrop of what’s going on in Afghanistan.”
They further denied that the administration wants to “de-prioritize the Middle East.”
“Nothing could be further from the truth. If anything, in the Biden administration, we are not pursuing… unachievable goals,” the report quoting one of the senior officials as saying.
“We’re not trying to transform the Middle East,” one official said. “We’re not trying to overthrow regimes.”
“We are pursuing a very steady course, centered on achievable aims; alignment of ends and means; and, first and foremost, support to our partners, and, of course, Israel being second to none,” they said.