Claim: The Taliban have announced that they have asked Iran, Iraq and Jordan to grant them passage to Israel. They have stated that their intent is to “conquer Jerusalem”.
Fact: The Afghan Taliban spokesperson has refuted the claim that the Taliban are seeking permission from neighbouring countries to access a passage to Israel after the recent Israel-Palestine escalation.
On 7 October 2023, the Al Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, launched a “surprise attack” on Israel via sea, land, and air. In response, the Israeli government formally declared war on Hamas on 8 October 2023.
At least 1,400 fatalities have been reported in Israel, while health officials reported that more than 7,000 people have been killed in Gaza, Palestine, according to a report by OCHA. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the UNRWA, reported that over one million people, almost half the total population of Gaza, have been displaced. The Israeli bombardment of Gaza continues at the time of writing.
Fact or Fiction?
X (formerly Twitter) user, @TalibanPRD__ published a tweet claiming the Taliban has reached a deal with Iran that is satisfactory, but Iraq did not respond, and Jordan barred the Taliban from entering their state to reach Israel. European digital news media X account @Visegrad 24 also shared a tweet claiming that the Taliban have announced that they asked Iran, Iraq and Jordan for a passage to Israel with the intent to conquer.
Bureau Chief Pakistan of WIONews, Anas Mallick tweeted that the news is false, and that a Taliban spokesperson has refuted the claim of seeking passage to Israel.
Voice of America also published a report on 9 October 2023, titled, “Taliban Deny Claims They Are Trying to Join Hamas on the Battlefield”. The article says that the head of the Taliban’s political office in Doha, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen told a group of journalists in a WhatsApp exchange that the news was inaccurate. “Not correct,” he was quoted as writing, “These are rumors, not confirmed news.”
The article also says that Taliban spokesperson, Zabiullah Mujahid told VOA that the Taliban’s “foreign ministry has issued a statement, and the Taliban’s position is the same.” On 7 October 2023, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement condemning Israeli actions in the Gaza strip. The statement reads, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is closely monitoring the recent events in the Gaza Strip, and the reason for such events is the violation of the rights of the oppressed Palestinian people by the Zionist Israelis and the frequent insulting of the holy places of Muslims. And it is considered disrespectful.”
Soch Fact Check also reached out to Mohammad Suhail Shaheen directly, but did not get a response. However, a journalist from The News, who is a member of the WhatsApp group which includes Suhail Shaheen and other journalists corroborated that Shaheen has indeed rejected any association with this statement.
Virality
On Twitter, the tweets here and here were viewed more than 6.6 million times.
We found that the same claim was also widespread on Facebook. Some examples can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The Taliban did not request permission from Iran, Iraq or Jordan for a passage to Israel with the intention to conquer Jerusalem.
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