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Netanyahu voices support for Kurdish independence
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed open support on Sunday for Kurdish independence. Netanyahu said that among the challenges facing his nation was the need to build cooperation with moderate countries in the region to help face the threat posed by extremists such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. He also said Israel must back efforts to support Jordan so that the insurgency doesn't spread there.Netanyahu said, "It is upon us to support the international efforts to strengthen Jordan, and support the Kurds' aspiration for independence," adding that the Kurds are a "fighting people that have proven political commitment and political moderation, and they're also worthy of their own political independence." This was Netanyahu’s first explicit comments on the subject after other Israeli officials hinted at this broadly. In talks with US Secretary of State Kerry last week, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman was quoted as saying that "Iraq is breaking up before our eyes and it would appear that the creation of an independent Kurdish state is a foregone conclusion." President Shimon Peres also mentioned the topic in a meeting with President Obama last week. He said, "The Kurds have, de facto, created their own state," adding that the Kurdish entity already was democratic. These comments came amid media reports that Israel recently received a shipment of crude oil from Iraqi Kurdistan, shipped via tanker that was loaded in a Turkish port. Posted by: ryuge 2014-06-30 |
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