A spokesman of the Taliban has appeared on Israeli TV, leading to speculation if Afghanistan’s new rulers were to pursue a more inclusive foreign policy. Samaa Digital’s fact check reveals, however, that Suhail Shaheen was unaware he was speaking to an Israeli media outlet.
Shaheen told Kan News reporter Roi Kais that the rights of minorities would be protected under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. He offered the same assurance for the protection of Zablon Simintov, a carpet trader who is dubbed as “the last Jew in Afghanistan.”
How Israelis were granted interview
Kan News is a division of Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation and the third-largest newscasting brand in the country. However, it broadcasts only in Hebrew and, thus, remains an unfamiliar name internationally. This worked to Roi Kais’s advantage when he approached the Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen.
The interview was conducted by phone and Suhail Shaheen did not realize he was talking to an Israeli TV station, says Times of Israel, a leading English language newspaper in Israel.
Kan News, too, admitted that they had not made their identity clear to the Taliban spokesman.
“We identified ourselves as the Kan News channel, but we didn’t stress that we are an Israeli media outlet,” Roi Kais has admitted according to Times of Israel.
Kan News features the audio interview in a report that carried old footage of Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen speaking to various TV stations. The arrangement insinuates that Shaheen appeared on Kan News in-person.
‘Shariah does not mean death’
The interview has generated social media debate and a few people have accused the Taliban’s Suhail Shaheen of sweet-talking the West. The key highlights of the interview, however, suggest otherwise.
“People should not be afraid and run away. Implementing Shariah law does not mean people will die; instead, there will be more peace and stability,” Suhail Shaheen said, according to a summary of the interview available at the Kan News website.
Shaheen said the Taliban wanted to make sure that life and property are protected in Afghanistan and everyone lived a normal life. He said he did not understand why people were fleeing Kabul, which remained peaceful.
Responding to the question about the last Afghan Jew, Shaheen said, “I do not know the last Jew. We are not harming minorities. There are Sikhs and Hindus in the country, and they can practice their religion.”
‘No ties with Hamas’
Israeli officials have expressed fears that Taliban victory in Afghanistan will encourage other Islamist groups such as Hamas in the Gaza strip. A photo purportedly showing Hamas’s politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh meeting Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar went viral recently. Hamas congratulated the Taliban on taking Kabul over the weekend.
Shaheen, however, said the Taliban had no ties with Hamas. “If they congratulated us on freedom and an end to the occupation it is fine, but we have no cooperation with Hamas in any area. We fought the occupation only in Afghanistan.”
Suhail Shaheen is based in Qatar and speaks regularly to international journalists. Another Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid appeared for, what has been called, the first-ever Taliban press conference after taking over Kabul.
from SAMAA https://ift.tt/2W6C7Or
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