Foreign Minister Yair Lapid approved Monday a $500,000 donation to help Afghan refugees who fled to neighboring Tajikistan following the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan and Taliban takeover.
This is the first time Isreal addresses the issue in an official capacity, and the funds are expected to be transferred through The United Nations Refugee Agency.
So far, Israeli aid to Afghan refugees has been provided through nonprofits such as IsraAID, which funded rescue flights for Afghan refugees.
The Ultra-Orthodox Borough Park community in New York also aided the Afghan refugees by providing countless food packages stamped with the words “With love from the Jewish community.”
According to the Foreign Ministry, the donation is intended to integrate with other international aid efforts in order to provide health care, sanitation, shelter, education, food, and professional training for refugees.
"Israel is proud to be a part of an international effort to assist refugees fleeing the Taliban regime in Afghanistan", Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz. "This cooperation with the UN organization for refugees, through our agency for International Development Cooperation Mashav, is the core of Israel's values."