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Iraq-Jordan
Iraq's Kurds support relations with Israel
2005-06-07
BAGHDAD, June 7 (UPI) -- The president of Iraq's Kurdistan province, Massoud Barzani, says he has no objection to establishing diplomatic relations with Israel. "Establishing relations between the Kurds and Israel is not a crime since many Arab countries have ties with the Jewish state," Barzani said in an interview with the Saudi daily al-Hayat. He said when the time comes and an Israeli Embassy is opened in Baghdad he will ask that an Israeli consulate be also established in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan.
Makes perfect sense. The Jews were a stateless people persecuted in every country they were in until they established their own state. The Kurds are the same today.
Barzani, who heads the powerful Kurdistan Democratic Party, said the disputed oil center of Kirkuk in northern Iraq is part of Kurdistan and should be returned to the province, as it was cut out from it by the former Baath regime. He described rampant terrorism in Iraq as "a dangerous illness, which should have been treated radically right from the beginning, while now we fear it has become chronic."
Posted by:Steve

#8  So after the war with the Corleone family, Barzani moved to Iraq and changed his name to Massoud?
Posted by: domingo   2005-06-07 13:37  

#7  who would have thought the north and the south could get along?
Posted by: 2b   2005-06-07 12:24  

#6  Iraq was an arbitrary state created by the British. At the time of its formation, local people didn't think it would work as sunnis shitites and kurds hate each other.

It should have been three states. Why not just divide the freakin country and give the kurds a state of their own?
Posted by: anon1   2005-06-07 12:22  

#5  Wonder who trained the Pershmerga. Turks? Syrians? Persians? Naw, probably Libiyans.
Posted by: Shipman   2005-06-07 12:17  

#4  yippy went to the dark side a long time ago. Israel and the US are fools to consider er'dogman anything but a back-stabbing opportunist.
Posted by: 2b   2005-06-07 11:34  

#3  Kurds and Israel have a common ennemy: Arabs. Unfortunately Israel has a friend who is ennemy of the Kurds and far more powerful: Turkey. As long as Erdogan doesn't openly join the Arabs Israel will not openly help the Kurds. And I don't think the Kurds are still ready to openly reject Islam as an instrument of foreign domination. Until they don't take this step it will be difficult for a Kurdish politician to go against Islamic solidarity.
Posted by: JFM   2005-06-07 11:31  

#2  Everything on the issue is treated with kid gloves, out of the fear of murder for anyone who calls for anything but the destruction of Israel. However, push has come to shove. The Kurds are in a position to question who their allies really are: Turks, Arabs, Iranians & Syrians or Israelis. On the one hand, the Israelis have never done them harm, and are a prosperous country offering much--unfortunately with no common border. On the other hand, they have a de facto relationship with people they really don't care for, but who, right now, are no longer actively trying to kill them. This is not an easy choice.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2005-06-07 09:57  

#1  Establishing relations between the Kurds and Israel is not a crime

doesnt sound like he'll push real hard for it.

"barzani, we can recognize your Israeli friends, or we can give you an extra two blocks in Kirkuk"

"make it three blocks"
Posted by: liberalhawk   2005-06-07 09:19  

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