Middle East

Israel and the establishment of an independed Kurdistan

15/09/2017

Netanyahu: Israel Supports the Establishment of an Independent Kurdistan

Netanyahu says that while Israel sees the Kurdish guerillas PKK as a terrorist organization, ‘it supports the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to achieve their own state’

By Barak Ravid

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday that Israel supports the establishment of an independent Kurdish state.
Netanyahu’s comments come on the heels a speech given a few days ago by former IDF deputy chief, Maj. Gen. Yair Golan in a Washington conference, in which he expressed support for Kurdish independence and said that the Kurdish PKK fighting Turkey is not a terrorist organization.

Kurdistan Independence: One Day in September Could Wreak Havoc in the Middle East

If Iraqi Kurds vote in referendum for independence next month, Iran and Turkey could launch an invasion, while Israel and the U.S. may be forced to sit on the sidelines to protect ties with Ankara

By Anshel Pfeffer

How often do the governments and regimes of the United States, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Syria agree on the same policy? Next to never. But for once, they are on the same page about an event scheduled to take place a month from now. All are trying, in some cases using threats, to stop the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the semi-autonomous administration of the Kurdish region in Northern Iraq, from holding an independence referendum on September 25.
The KRG has declared that the referendum will be “binding” – in other words, if a majority of the 5 million voters choose independence, as is widely expected, they will initiate the breakaway process. Iraq’s Shi’ite-dominated government in Baghdad has made it clear that they will not recognize the referendum’s results, but it is unclear how they can prevent Kurdish independence.