Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel Supports the Independence of the Kurdistan Region

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated that his country supports the declaration of independence of the Kurdistan Region and the establishment of a "Kurdish state" in northern Iraq. According to Israeli media, Netanyahu, who is traveling in South America, emphasized his country's support for the "achievement of an independent Kurdish state" during a joint press conference with Argentine President Mauricio Macri on Tuesday, September 12. Netanyahu also stated, "Israel opposes the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) just as it opposes Turkey's support for Hamas." A statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office released on Wednesday described the PKK as a "terrorist group." Labeling the PKK as "terrorist" is an attempt by Netanyahu to distance himself from the remarks of a senior former Israeli military official regarding the nature of this group. General Yair Golan, who was recently the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, had stated that he does not consider the PKK, which has fought for three decades, a terrorist group. Israeli media reported that General Golan, during a speech at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy last Friday, said that the establishment of a Kurdish country in the Middle East is "not a bad idea." Without referring to the territorial boundaries of a "Kurdish country," he used the phrase "somewhere in the Middle East." Following General Golan's remarks, analysts in Israeli media suggested that the general's comments could cause deep displeasure in Turkey, especially since Turkey has recently restored its relations with Israel after six and a half years. Turkey considers the PKK a terrorist group and has been engaged in a bloody conflict with its militants for over three decades. Like Iran and Syria, Turkey has expressed deep discontent with the Kurdistan Region's intention to hold a referendum on independence on September 25 and has warned of the consequences. The Iraqi government and parliament have also opposed this referendum. Apparently, Israel is the only country in the world that preemptively supports the establishment of a Kurdish state. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu had told a delegation of Republican members of the U.S. Congress during their visit to Jerusalem last month that he has a "positive" view regarding the establishment of a Kurdish state in northern Iraq. Netanyahu had also stated in 2014 that the Kurds "deserve independence" and added that "the independence of Kurdistan is a way to cooperate with moderate forces in the region." Netanyahu's remarks three years ago came shortly after the rise of ISIS. Ms. Ksenia Sevelova, a member of the Israeli parliament and president of the Association for Strengthening Relations between Israel and the Kurds, told the Jerusalem Post last month that a delegation from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq had visited Israel and requested that the Israeli officials use their influence over the U.S. to ask Washington to refrain from opposing Kurdish independence. In recent weeks, the U.S. government has sent high-ranking officials, including Defense Secretary James Mattis, to Erbil to meet with Masoud Barzani, the president of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, requesting a delay in holding this referendum. Netanyahu's repeated support at this time, along with several other current and former Israeli political and military officials for the establishment of a "Kurdish state," comes as Barzani emphasized this week that the independence referendum in Kurdistan will be held as scheduled. The spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region has not reacted to Netanyahu's recent remarks supporting the establishment of a "Kurdish state," but according to the Associated Press, it seems that this spokesperson is pleased with this position. Mr. Safin Dizayi, the spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region, told the Associated Press that everyone is free to express their opinion and that they appreciate any government in any part of the world that recognizes the right of the Kurds in Iraq to independence. This comes as Kurdish sources in northern Iraq claimed this week that Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, traveled to Erbil to meet with Masoud Barzani in an attempt to change the intention of the referendum, but the position of the Kurdistan Region has not changed. The Islamic Republic of Iran has not published a report regarding Soleimani's visit to Erbil, but several Iranian officials have reiterated their opposition to this idea in recent days. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, opposed the independence of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq three months ago during a meeting with Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, who was visiting Tehran.