jpost.com
Israel's Ties with the Kurds
Israel's new Foreign Minister acknowledges the Kurdish people and highlights the historical and contemporary relationship between Israel and the Kurds.
English
Israel
PoliticsInternational RelationsMiddle EastIsraelHistoryMinorities
Syrian Democratic ForcesMuslim BrotherhoodIslamic Revolutionary Guard CorpsHezbollah
Gideon Sa'arIsrael KatzGamal Abdel NasserSaddam HusseinBashar Al-Assad
- What is the broader context of Israel's outreach to minorities in the region?
- Israel's outreach to regional minorities, including Kurds and Druze, is part of a long-standing policy aiming to expand the 'circle of peace and normalization' beyond the Abraham Accords. This policy has yielded mixed results, facing challenges from various regional actors and extremist groups.
- What is the historical basis for the relationship between Israel and the Kurds?
- The relationship between Israel and the Kurds is rooted in shared experiences of persecution by common enemies, like Arab nationalists and the regimes of Saddam Hussein, Assad, and the Ayatollahs. This shared history fostered a close, albeit sometimes clandestine, relationship.
- What did Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar say about the Kurdish people in his first speech?
- Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar acknowledged the Kurdish people as a large nation lacking political independence in his inaugural speech, highlighting the historical ties between Israel and the Kurds.
- What are some of the challenges associated with Israel's policy of outreach toward regional minorities?
- While Israel's support for the Kurds has been beneficial, it has also created challenges. Public displays of support during the 2017 Kurdish independence referendum fueled anti-Kurdish sentiment in Iran and Turkey, highlighting the complexities of Israel's regional relationships.
- How did Sa'ar describe the current situation of Kurds in Syria and Iraq, and what is the significance of this statement?
- Sa'ar emphasized the Kurds' de facto autonomy in parts of Syria and Iraq, acknowledging their oppression by Iran and Turkey. He stressed the importance of strengthening ties with the Kurds for political and security reasons, aligning with Israel's broader goal of expanding regional peace.