Israeli Ambassador to the U.S Ron Dermer expressed Tel Aviv’s support for the Kurdish people’s aspirations for independence in the Middle East.
Israel’s Maariv newspaper reported that the ambassador’s statements were made during an interview with a Kurdish television station.
Dermer said: “Israel has another people in the Middle East who truly love freedom, and they are fighting for their freedom; that is the Kurdish people.” “We feel very close ties with them – both between Kurdish and Jewish people; and between Israel and [Kurdistan]. We wish them well.”
He went on to say: “Militant Islam is not just a threat to Israel, it is a threat to [all] people[s] throughout the Middle East [including], minorities, Christians, Kurds and also Muslims everywhere.”
Politicians in Israel fear that the ambassador’s statements regarding the Kurds may lead to the disturbance of the Israeli-Turkish reconciliation, especially since the Turks are in confrontation with the Kurds.
Many reports have confirmed the presence of old and strong relations between the Kurds and Israel, and the latter’s military training of the Kurds and supplying them with weapons.
In addition to this, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not hide his support for an independent Kurdish state in Iraq, which he openly said during a conference organized by the Institute for National Security Studies.
Sourced: Middle East Monitor
Image Sourced: International Business Times