Surprising Ties between Israel and the Kurds

[aris2chat]

Muslims are so afraid of an Israel state, or modeled like Israel. They credit Israel with almost supernatural power from such a small population. Amazing!


Surprising Ties between Israel and the Kurds
meforum.org/3838/israel-kurds

SUMMER 2014 • VOLUME XXI: NUMBER 3
by Ofra Bengio
Middle East Quarterly
Surprising Ties between Israel and the Kurds :: Middle East Quarterly

Kurdish Jews arrive in Israel. Following the establishment of the state of Israel, Kurdish feelings toward the Jews were transformed into a certain admiration and the urge to imitate Jewish success in the new state. Relations were characterized by mutual trust that became an important asset for ties in modern times. In turn, Kurdish Jews who migrated to Israel in the 1940s and early 1950s became excellent ambassadors for the Kurds of Iraq, publicizing and pleading their cause among the Israeli public.

In 1966, Iraqi defense minister Abd al-Aziz al-Uqayli blamed the Kurds of Iraq for seeking to establish "a second Israel" in the Middle East. He also claimed that "the West and the East are supporting the rebels to create [khalq] a new Israeli state in the north of the homeland as they had done in 1948 when they created Israel. It is as if history is repeating itself."[1] An Arab commentator had warned earlier that if such a thing should happen, "the Arabs will face within two decades their second nakba [catastrophe] after Palestine."[2] These contentions speak volumes regarding Iraq's threat perceptions of the Kurds more than four decades after the establishment of the Iraqi state. They also conceptualize Israel as the ultimate evil in the region. Such accusations are echoed today by some Arab media, which claim that Kurdistan is following in the footsteps of "Yahudistan" ("Land of the Jews").[3] Seen from the Kurdish and Israeli perspectives, these linkages and parallels are intended to demonize and delegitimize both while also implying illegitimate relations between them. The intriguing questions are therefore what kind of relations exist between Israel and the Kurds?

Do the Kurds look at Israel as a model? And what are the regional implications of such relations?.................................................

 

[Sally]

Muslims are so afraid of an Israel state, or modeled like Israel. They credit Israel with almost supernatural power from such a small population. Amazing!


Surprising Ties between Israel and the Kurds
meforum.org/3838/israel-kurds

SUMMER 2014 • VOLUME XXI: NUMBER 3
by Ofra Bengio
Middle East Quarterly
Surprising Ties between Israel and the Kurds :: Middle East Quarterly

Kurdish Jews arrive in Israel. Following the establishment of the state of Israel, Kurdish feelings toward the Jews were transformed into a certain admiration and the urge to imitate Jewish success in the new state. Relations were characterized by mutual trust that became an important asset for ties in modern times. In turn, Kurdish Jews who migrated to Israel in the 1940s and early 1950s became excellent ambassadors for the Kurds of Iraq, publicizing and pleading their cause among the Israeli public.

In 1966, Iraqi defense minister Abd al-Aziz al-Uqayli blamed the Kurds of Iraq for seeking to establish "a second Israel" in the Middle East. He also claimed that "the West and the East are supporting the rebels to create [khalq] a new Israeli state in the north of the homeland as they had done in 1948 when they created Israel. It is as if history is repeating itself."[1] An Arab commentator had warned earlier that if such a thing should happen, "the Arabs will face within two decades their second nakba [catastrophe] after Palestine."[2] These contentions speak volumes regarding Iraq's threat perceptions of the Kurds more than four decades after the establishment of the Iraqi state. They also conceptualize Israel as the ultimate evil in the region. Such accusations are echoed today by some Arab media, which claim that Kurdistan is following in the footsteps of "Yahudistan" ("Land of the Jews").[3] Seen from the Kurdish and Israeli perspectives, these linkages and parallels are intended to demonize and delegitimize both while also implying illegitimate relations between them. The intriguing questions are therefore what kind of relations exist between Israel and the Kurds?

Do the Kurds look at Israel as a model? And what are the regional implications of such relations?.................................................

What I am surprised at, Aris, is that those who are always moaning about the "Palestinians" not having their own state never seem to moan about the Kurds not having their own state. After all, the Kurds numbers in the millions and millions, so some of the posters should at least take time off from their moaning about the "Palestinians" and consider the Kurds.

 

[Roudy]

Muslims are so afraid of an Israel state, or modeled like Israel. They credit Israel with almost supernatural power from such a small population. Amazing!


Surprising Ties between Israel and the Kurds
meforum.org/3838/israel-kurds

SUMMER 2014 • VOLUME XXI: NUMBER 3
by Ofra Bengio
Middle East Quarterly
Surprising Ties between Israel and the Kurds :: Middle East Quarterly

Kurdish Jews arrive in Israel. Following the establishment of the state of Israel, Kurdish feelings toward the Jews were transformed into a certain admiration and the urge to imitate Jewish success in the new state. Relations were characterized by mutual trust that became an important asset for ties in modern times. In turn, Kurdish Jews who migrated to Israel in the 1940s and early 1950s became excellent ambassadors for the Kurds of Iraq, publicizing and pleading their cause among the Israeli public.

In 1966, Iraqi defense minister Abd al-Aziz al-Uqayli blamed the Kurds of Iraq for seeking to establish "a second Israel" in the Middle East. He also claimed that "the West and the East are supporting the rebels to create [khalq] a new Israeli state in the north of the homeland as they had done in 1948 when they created Israel. It is as if history is repeating itself."[1] An Arab commentator had warned earlier that if such a thing should happen, "the Arabs will face within two decades their second nakba [catastrophe] after Palestine."[2] These contentions speak volumes regarding Iraq's threat perceptions of the Kurds more than four decades after the establishment of the Iraqi state. They also conceptualize Israel as the ultimate evil in the region. Such accusations are echoed today by some Arab media, which claim that Kurdistan is following in the footsteps of "Yahudistan" ("Land of the Jews").[3] Seen from the Kurdish and Israeli perspectives, these linkages and parallels are intended to demonize and delegitimize both while also implying illegitimate relations between them. The intriguing questions are therefore what kind of relations exist between Israel and the Kurds?

Do the Kurds look at Israel as a model? And what are the regional implications of such relations?.................................................

Kurdish Jews are among the oldest and most ancient, their lineage goes back to the Jews that fled the destruction of first and second temples, to ancient Persia, which was under Kurdish rule for a while. Many Jews fled and took refuge in Kurdistan after the Arab pogroms and ethnic cleansings began. Some of my relatives are Kurds, they used to speak Kurdish, Arabic and Aramaic, among the other languages they spoke.