{"id":800,"date":"2017-10-06T02:19:07","date_gmt":"2017-10-06T02:19:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/?p=800"},"modified":"2017-10-06T02:19:07","modified_gmt":"2017-10-06T02:19:07","slug":"isreal-supports-iraqi-kurds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/2017\/10\/06\/isreal-supports-iraqi-kurds\/","title":{"rendered":"Isreal Supports Iraqi Kurds"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 class=\"pg-headline\">Why Israel supports an independent Iraqi Kurdistan<\/h1>\n<div class=\"metadata \">\n<div class=\"metadata__info js-byline-images\">\n<p class=\"metadata__byline\"><span class=\"metadata__byline__author\">By Ian Lee, CNN<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"update-time\">Updated 9:49 AM ET, Mon October 2, 2017<span id=\"js-pagetop_video_source\" class=\"video__source top_source\"><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"m-share m-share__rail-top js-share-rail-top  m-share__floating\">\n<div id=\"gigyaShareBar_3_gig_containerParent\" class=\"js-gigya-sharebar gigya-sharebar\">\n<div class=\"share-bar-email-container gigya-sharebar-element gig-bar-container gig-share-bar-container\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"gigyaShareBar_3\" class=\"gigya-sharebar-element\">\n<div class=\"gig-bar-container gig-share-bar-container\">\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"gigyaShareBar_4\" class=\"gigya-sharebar-element\">\n<div class=\"gig-bar-container gig-share-bar-container\">\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"gigyaShareBar_5\" class=\"gigya-sharebar-element\">\n<div class=\"gig-bar-container gig-share-bar-container\">\n<table cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pg-rail-tall__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"pg-side-of-rail pg-rail-tall__side\">\n<div class=\"pg-rail-tall__head js-pg-rail-tall__head\">\n<section id=\"large-media\" class=\"zn zn-large-media zn-body zn--idx-0 zn--ordinary zn-has-one-container\">\n<div class=\"l-container\">\n<div class=\"el__video el__video--fullwidth\">\n<div id=\"media__video_large-media_0--wrapper\" class=\"js-media__video media__video\">\n<div class=\"media__video--thumbnail-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video__end-slate--inactive video__end-slate js-video__end-slate\">\n<div class=\"l-container\">\n<div class=\"js-video__end-slate__tertiary video__end-slate__tertiary\">\n<div class=\"js-video__end-slate__carousel video__end-slate__carousel owl-loaded owl-drag\">\n<div class=\"owl-stage-outer owl-height\">\n<div class=\"owl-stage\">\n<div class=\"owl-item cloned\">\n<div class=\"cn__column carousel__content__item\">\n<article class=\"cd cd--card cd--video cd--idx-5 cd--medium cd--vertical cd--has-media cd--media__image\">\n<div class=\"cd__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"media\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/videos\/world\/2017\/09\/25\/air-war-isis-the-u2-dragon-lady-lon-orig.cnn\"><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"cd__content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"owl-nav\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"large-media_0\" class=\"media__video--responsive \">\n<div class=\"js-inbetweener-unpinner inbetweener-unpinner\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"js-inbetweener-pinner--type1 inbetweener-pinner--type1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"js-inbetweener-pinner--type2 inbetweener-pinner--type2\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"player-large-media_0\" class=\"theoplayer video-js vjs-default-skin theoplayer-skin vjs-controls-enabled fave-no-mobile theo-style-1 vjs-has-started vjs-playing theoplayer-has-started theoplayer-dvr-now fade-in vjs-user-inactive\">\n<div id=\"jS3KS\" class=\"vjs-tech\"><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-text-track-display\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-control-bar\">\n<div class=\"vjs-play-control vjs-control  vjs-playing\" role=\"button\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-current-time vjs-time-controls vjs-control\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-time-divider\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-duration vjs-time-controls vjs-control\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-progress-control vjs-control\">\n<div class=\"vjs-progress-holder vjs-slider\" role=\"slider\">\n<div class=\"vjs-load-progress\"><span class=\"vjs-control-text\">Loaded: 0%<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-play-progress\"><span class=\"vjs-control-text\">Progress: 0%<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-seek-handle vjs-slider-handle\"><span class=\"vjs-control-text\">0:36<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-fullscreen-control vjs-control \" role=\"button\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-volume-control vjs-control\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-mute-control vjs-control vjs-vol-3\" role=\"button\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"theoplayer-configuration-control vjs-control\" role=\"button\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"vjs-subtitles-button vjs-menu-button vjs-control\" role=\"button\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"theo-watermark\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"large-media_0-metadata\" class=\"metadata\">\n<p class=\"metadata__source\"><span class=\"metadata__source-name\">Source:\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/\">CNN<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"media__caption el__storyelement__title\"><span class=\"el__storyelement__header\">Independence vote complicates war on ISIS\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"el__storyelement__gray\">02:50<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pg-rail-tall__body\">\n<section id=\"body-text\" class=\"zn zn-body-text zn-body zn--idx-0 zn--ordinary zn-has-multiple-containers zn-has-35-containers\">\n<div class=\"l-container\">\n<div class=\"el__leafmedia el__leafmedia--sourced-paragraph\">\n<p class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\"><cite class=\"el-editorial-source\">Jerusalem (CNN)<\/cite>When Iraqi Kurds a look around, they see potential enemies to the north, south, east and west. The Turks, Iraqis, Iranians and Syrians all rejected last week&#8217;s\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/09\/27\/middleeast\/kurdish-referendum-results\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">referendum for an independent Kurdistan.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\">Despite the objections, more than 90% of roughly three million Kurds who voted chose independence; in response, a number of countries imposed economic sanctions and threatened military intervention.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph speakable\">Even one of the Kurds&#8217; closest allies, the United States,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/09\/30\/middleeast\/kurdistan-independence-tillerson-us\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said the results lacked &#8220;legitimacy&#8221;\u00a0<\/a>and continued to express support for a united Iraq.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">Each country has its own reason for opposing the referendum, but there is one regional power that has thrown its weight behind the Kurds&#8217; drive for independence: Israel.<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--epic ad--tablet\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--epic ad--desktop\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">\n<h3>A decades-old relationship<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"el__embedded el__embedded--fullwidth\">\n<div class=\"el__image--fullwidth js__image--fullwidth\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"media__image media__image--responsive\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/171002124805-benjamin-netanyahu-september-26-exlarge-169.jpg\" alt=\"Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the &amp;quot;legitimate efforts&amp;quot; of the drive for Kurdish independence. \" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"img__preloader\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"media__caption el__gallery_image-title\">\n<div class=\"element-raw appearance-fullwidth\">Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the &#8220;legitimate efforts&#8221; of the drive for Kurdish independence.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__read-all\">\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement ahead of the referendum saying Israel &#8220;supports the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to attain a state of its own.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">At a conference on counter-terrorism last month, Israeli Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked added her support, saying, &#8220;A free Kurdistan should be established, at least in Iraq. It is in the United States&#8217; and Israel&#8217;s interest for this to happen. It is time for the US to support the process.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">Relations with Iraqi Kurds can be traced back to the early years of the state of Israel, in the 1940s and 50s. Many Kurdish Jews who left Iraq to move to the new state kept in contact with their families back home. That turned into Israeli support for the Kurdish resistance in Iraq, beginning in the 1960s.<\/div>\n<div class=\"el__embedded el__embedded--standard\">\n<div class=\"el__storyelement--standard el__article--embed\">\n<div class=\"el__article--teaseimage\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/09\/29\/middleeast\/iraq-kirkuk-tension\/index.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"media__image media__image--responsive\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/170929133921-kirkuk-6-medium-plus-169.jpg\" alt=\"In Iraq&#039;s tinderbox city, referendum sparks fears of sectarian war\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"img__preloader\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"media__caption el__storyelement__title\"><span class=\"el__storyelement__header\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/09\/29\/middleeast\/iraq-kirkuk-tension\/index.html\">In Iraq&#8217;s tinderbox city, referendum sparks fears of sectarian war<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">And while Israel has gone on to establish peace with Egypt and Jordan, Seth Frantzman, a research associate at the Rubin Center for Research in International Affairs in Herzliya who has traveled to northern Iraq, sees Israel&#8217;s relationship with the Kurds as different.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">&#8220;Israel&#8217;s peace with Egypt and Jordan isn&#8217;t a warm peace. The average Egyptian on the street hates Israel and\/or the Jews. In Jordan the feeling is [only] slightly less,&#8221; says Frantzman. &#8220;With the Kurds, there is warmth on the street level, and if they got independence it would be another country that has good relations with Israel.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">Frantzman sees that good relationship translating into tangible benefits with the creation of a Kurdish state.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">&#8220;Israel would welcome another state in the region that shares its concerns about the rising power of Iran, including the threat of Iranian-backed Shia militias in Iraq,&#8221; says Frantzman. &#8220;Reports have also indicated that oil from Kurdistan is purchased by Israel.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">\n<h3>Israel&#8217;s support hasn&#8217;t gone unnoticed<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"el__embedded el__embedded--fullwidth\">\n<div class=\"el__video--fullwidth js__video--fullwidth\">\n<div id=\"media__video_body-text_20--wrapper\" class=\"js-media__video media__video\">\n<div class=\"media__video--thumbnail-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"video__end-slate--inactive video__end-slate js-video__end-slate\">\n<div class=\"l-container\">\n<div class=\"video__end-slate__top-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"js-el__video__replayer-wrapper el__video__replayer-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"media__image\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/170922151712-who-are-the-kurds-3-large-169.jpg\" alt=\"Who are the Kurds?\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"js-el__video__replay-button el__video__replay-button\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"video__end-slate__secondary\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h4 class=\"video__end-slate__tertiary-title\"><\/h4>\n<div class=\"js-video__end-slate__tertiary video__end-slate__tertiary\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"body-text_20\" class=\"media__video--responsive \"><\/div>\n<div id=\"body-text_20-metadata\" class=\"metadata\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"media__caption el__storyelement__title\"><span class=\"el__storyelement__header\">Who are the Kurds?<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"el__storyelement__gray\">01:40<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">But not everyone in Israel is so eager to support, at least openly, an independent Kurdish state. Retired Major General Amos Gilad, head of the Institute for Policy and Strategy at IDC Herzliya, believes Israel needs to tread carefully.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">&#8220;I&#8217;m not so sure that they need our public support, because that opens up the allegation that we are behind the Kurds, or that we are behind the referendum. And that, in turn, would mean we are behind a threat to Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq &#8212; [which is something] that might unite them [against us]. It&#8217;s very easy to unite against Jews or the State of Israel.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">Indeed, this support by Israel for Iraqi Kurdish independence has not gone unnoticed by their neighbors.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">Iranian state media characterized the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, Masoud Barzani, as a puppet of Netanyahu. It accused Israel of trying to divide the region and weaken Iraq.<\/div>\n<div class=\"el__embedded el__embedded--standard\">\n<div class=\"el__storyelement--standard el__article--embed\">\n<div class=\"el__article--teaseimage\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/09\/30\/middleeast\/kurdistan-independence-tillerson-us\/index.html\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"media__image media__image--responsive\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.cdn.cnn.com\/cnnnext\/dam\/assets\/170920211815-rex-tillerson-medium-plus-169.jpg\" alt=\"Iraqi Kurdish referendum &#039;illegitimate,&#039; Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"img__preloader\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"media__caption el__storyelement__title\"><span class=\"el__storyelement__header\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2017\/09\/30\/middleeast\/kurdistan-independence-tillerson-us\/index.html\">Iraqi Kurdish referendum &#8216;illegitimate,&#8217; Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a thinly-veiled accusation that Israel&#8217;s intelligence service had assisted the push for independence.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">&#8220;It made us sad that [Iraqi Kurds] paraded Israeli flags in their hands,&#8221; Erdogan told a crowd recently, referencing the sight of Kurdish and Israeli flags being waved together at an independence rally in northern Iraq. &#8220;It shows the administration&#8217;s ties.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">Turkey and Israel used to enjoy warm diplomatic, economic, and military links. But, strained by Israel&#8217;s wars in Gaza, relations have frayed dramatically during Erdogan&#8217;s leadership.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">Netanyahu shot back at Turkish allegations during his weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, saying, &#8220;I understand why those who support Hamas, and want to see [the involvement of] Mossad [everywhere] are uncomfortable, but Israel had no part in the Kurdish referendum, apart from the deep, natural sympathy that the people of Israel have had for many years for the Kurdish people and their aspirations.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">It is yet to be seen how far Israel&#8217;s support for the Kurds will extend. The Kurdistan Regional Government says the referendum will give it a mandate for talks to secede from Iraq, although Baghdad has already ruled out such talks. Whether an independent Kurdistan could survive without the support of its neighbors, as Erdogan predicts, is unclear.<\/div>\n<div class=\"zn-body__paragraph\">&#8220;Who will accept your independence?&#8221; Erodgan asked rhetorically to students after the referendum, according to Turkey&#8217;s state-run Anadolu news agency. &#8220;Israel? But the world is not constituted only of Israel.&#8221;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Israel supports an independent Iraqi Kurdistan By Ian Lee, CNN Updated 9:49 AM ET, Mon October 2, 2017 Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 0:36 Source:\u00a0CNN Independence vote complicates war on ISIS\u00a002:50 Jerusalem (CNN)When Iraqi Kurds a look around, they see potential enemies to the north, south, east and west. The Turks, Iraqis, Iranians and Syrians all rejected last week&#8217;s\u00a0referendum for&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/2017\/10\/06\/isreal-supports-iraqi-kurds\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=800"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":801,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/800\/revisions\/801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/middleeastandnorthafricablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}