Kurds and Israel

Israel's national security dependent on supporting Kurdish cause, Kurdish leader says

“National security is achieved only through support for the cause. We are talking about a new Middle East with four key countries: Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran. The Kurds are in all of them."

FEBRUARY 18, 2026|ByDR. EDY COHEN

Security for the protest is provided by the local Asayish (Kurdish Police) during a demonstration for Kurdish rights on February 10, 2026 in Qamishli, Syria. The protests called for the protection of Kurdish rights and the achievements of the Rojava revolution as the region

Kurds mark Kurdistan flag day with calls for unity, freedom

Kurdish communities across the globe honored their national symbol on Wednesday, reflecting on decades of struggle, pride, and the ongoing fight for autonomy.

DECEMBER 18, 2025|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Body bags lie at Sweida National Hospital, following deadly clashes between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes, and government forces, in Syria’s predominantly Druze city of Sweida in July.

Israeli Druze doctor builds secret medical lifeline for besieged Sweida - exclusive

MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS: The Israeli Druze physician who organized the smuggling of medical supplies from Damascus to Sweida amid a massacre.

DECEMBER 4, 2025|ByDARCIE GRUNBLATT

Mazloum Abdi, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria on April 26, 2025.

Why Israel’s security interests now depend on supporting the Kurds - opinion

The MEPS Forum showed growing Kurdish unity and a shifting Syrian landscape, underscoring why Israel should strengthen ties with Kurdish forces in Iraq and Syria as regional threats continue to rise.

NOVEMBER 30, 2025|BySUZAN QUITAZ

Was Israel wrong to support Kurdish independence?

Erbil is now paying the price for its mistake.

NOVEMBER 13, 2017ByARI HEISTEIN

Hadassa Yeshurun holds Kurdish and Israeli flags in her music video

What Iraq’s recent moves against Kurds mean for Israel and region

Israel is concerned about Iran being emboldened by another victory in Iraq at the same time that a Hamas delegation is in Tehran.

OCTOBER 23, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Volunteers and Peshmerga forces carry their weapons north of Kirkuk, Iraq October 16, 2017.

TERRA INCOGNITA: 2017 A bad year for independence movements

It seems that the world is much more weary of independence now than it used to be.

OCTOBER 22, 2017BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

CATALANS MARCH for independence on Saturday

Prime Minister Netanyahu lobbies for Iraqi Kurds

The leader has raised the question of the Kurds' independence with Putin and Merkel.

OCTOBER 22, 2017ByHERB KEINON

Kurds celebrate to show their support for the upcoming September 25th independence referendum in Erbil, Iraq September 22, 2017.

Why Should International Community Support Kurdish Independence?

OCTOBER 17, 2017ByBESTOON OTHMAN KHALID

Analysis: How Kurdistan’s Independence Can Spark the Middle East

Despite longstanding ties between the Kurds and Israel, support for Kurdistan independence is more than likely a geo-political one, with Israel looking to get a foothold in the region.

OCTOBER 8, 2017ByBOB MASON/FXEMPIRE

A STATUE of a Peshmerga fighter in Kirkuk.

My Word: Independence and states of the mind

Some 150 countries are currently involved in territorial disputes. Israel isn’t to blame.

OCTOBER 5, 2017ByLIAT COLLINS

People wave Spanish, Catalan (known as Senyera) and European Union flags during a demonstration in favor of a unified Spain a day before the banned October 1 independence referendum, in Barcelona, Spain, September 30, 2017.

The case for Kurdish independence

One thing is clear: if the US continues to neglect its “friends” and allies in the region – those on the front line in the fight against ISIS – the damage to its credibility will only increase.

OCTOBER 3, 2017ByALAN DERSHOWITZ