Posted on 06/29/2014 1:16:47 PM PDT by tcrlaf
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced support for Kurdish statehood on Sunday, taking a position that appeared to clash with the U.S. preference to keep sectarian war-torn Iraq united.
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"We should ... support the Kurdish aspiration for independence," Netanyahu told Tel Aviv University's INSS think-tank, after outlining what he described as the collapse of Iraq and other Middle East regions under strife between Arab Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims.
Kurds, Netanyahu said, "are a fighting people that has proved its political commitment, political moderation, and deserves political independence".
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
This is getting interesting.... (Interesting being a curse, of course)
He happens to be right. The Kurds have a cohesive national identity, significant territory, and are a pretty good counterweight to the raving lunatics in the same neighborhood. They’re independent in all but form. Israel would do well to recognize them if they decide to go for independence.
I agree with this position. The Kurds operate separately from the rest of Iraq.
I see Israel is looking to make a connection there ... :-) ...
absolutely !
Thank God we have Bibi in these troubled times. Looks like he is our only leader in the free world.
Smart move — recognize an independent Kurdistan and guarantee an ally to Israel, situated just around the corner, instead of a far away flip-flop type of “friend”.
The Kurds are bypassing the Iraqi government and selling crude oil directly to Israel. Maliki is an enemy of Israel, by the way.
I said that 8 years ago...
I am all for Kurdish independence.
Let them sell crude to their heart’s content to whomever is willing to pay the highest price.
And FYI, Maliki is not our friend either.
This will make a rift with the govt of Turkey, however, and Israel and the US have relied upon them for the (disastrous) Syria policy. The blow-back from Syria could be severe.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Related threads
Israel's prime minister backs Kurdish independence
Makes sense, Israel has had military and training relationships with the Kurds since the late 60s
The vast majority of Kurds are Muslims. While I think they'd probably be grateful for an independent state and leave Israel alone, I don't think you could "guarantee" they'd be an ally to Israel, especially if Kurdistan had voting representation at the UN.
Israel certainly hasn’t relied on Turkey for anything in the last several years. Erdogan is pals with Obama however.
To [loosely] quote Lord Palmerston: "[Nations / Countries / Governments] have no eternal friends or allies, they have no perpetual enemies, they only have permanent interests."
(The last bit is quite arguable, of course, due to generalization and [sometimes rapid] changes of nations' governments, demographics and cultures.)
The vast majority of Egyptians and Jordanians are Muslim. That doesn't preclude them from being reasonably reliable peaceful neighbours and trading partners, after finding themselves on the losing end of a few wars.
So, while there is never a "guarantee," it's very likely that Kurds, sharing with Jews a somewhat similar historical experience regarding their homelands — the diaspora and the alyiah — would feel some sort of kinship and be a more reliable ally and partner to Israel. They know that they have much less to fear from Israel than from their Muslim Sunni and Shi'a "brethren" neighbours.
This editorial piece presents some interesting facts and an opinion: Kurdistan: Great, greater the greatest? - Pravda.ru, by Lyuba Lulko, 2014 June 06
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