Israel Minister: Kurds deserve global support
According to a senior Israeli official on Monday, Kurds have shown their ability to defeat the Islamic State (IS) and, as a result, deserve more support from the West.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – A senior Israeli official said on Monday that Kurds have proven they are able to defeat the Islamic State (IS) and, as a result, deserve more support from the West.
During an appearance at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, Israel Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon discussed the current situation in the Middle East in general, focusing on Palestine and Syria in particular.
Ya’alon mentioned that peace should be promoted in the region through education, especially in Palestine, to stabilize the situation.
He stated that the US and other powers are engaged in “wishful thinking” by following a strategy where Syria remains a nation as it was before the outbreak of civil war in 2011.
Additionally, the Minister noted that there is now an Alawite region in Syria that is controlled by the President of the Syrian Regime Bashar Assad and Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) controlled by Kurds. He added that “Kurds have autonomy now in Syria and Iraq.”
He stated that Kurds in Kobani, a city in Rojava, started to defeat IS when they received support from the West. “The Kurds so far demonstrated that they have the capability to fight Da’esh, and we will support them,” Ya’alon stated, using the Arabic pejorative for IS.
In another part of the panel, he explained that it is important to have all players in Syria agree on a federal system as a solution in the country. Ya’alon touched upon the controversial interests of different countries like Turkey and Saudi Arabia in Syria that must be settled to reach stability.
Reporting by Mewan Dolamari
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany and Ava Homa
(Kurdistan24 team contributed to this report from Washington DC)