Israel's PM to congressmen: Kurds should have a state

The Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has voiced support for Kurdish statehood
Monday, 14 August 2017 17:58

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a delegation of 33 Republican congressmen last week that he is in favour of an independent Kurdish state in parts of Iraq, The Jerusalem Post reported.

According to a source who took part in the discussion on Thursday, Netanyahu expressed his "positive attitude" toward a Kurdish state in the Kurdish areas of Iraq, saying the Kurds are a "brave, pro-Western people who share our values."

Netanyahu has not spoken publicly about the issue since 2014 when he said during a speech in Tel Aviv that Israel should "support the Kurdish aspiration for independence."

Mossad head Yossi Cohen addressed Israel’s concerns over Iran during a briefing to the cabinet on Sunday. Netanyahu, during a speech later in the evening in Ashdod, said he could briefly summarize what Cohen said: "Islamic State is leaving and Iran is moving in. Simple. We are speaking primarily about Syria."

Israel has maintained the discreet military, intelligence and business ties with the Kurds since the 1960s. The Kurds have seized on recent chaos in Iraq to expand their autonomous northern territory to include Kirkuk, which sits on vast oil deposits that could make the independent state many dreams of economically viable.