Kurdish journalist Îkram Balekanî has commented on the recent escalation between Iran and Israel, following a 12-day armed conflict between the two countries which has intensified concerns over regional instability. In an interview with Mezopotamya Agency, Balekanî said that the war was a long time in the making, and argued that the only way to achieve true peace in the Middle East is through the Democratic Confederalism model proposed by imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Öcalan.
Balekanî said: “There are complicated relations between Iran and Israel. With the fall of the Shah in 1979 and Khomeini’s rise to power, the Iran-Iraq War began. During that war, the US provided Iran with 11,000 weapons to use against Iraq. Iran struck Iraq with those weapons. That was the nature of their relationship. For years, slogans such as ‘We will eliminate the Zionist regime; we will wipe it off the map’ have been chanted in Iran. For 46 years, these slogans have been repeated. This is not a new war, but a long-standing one, and Israel has been preparing itself accordingly; it has spent 30 years equipping itself with shelters in anticipation of war. This war lasted 12 days. Chemical and uranium weapons are merely a pretext. This is a war to redesign the Middle East. When Saddam bombed Halabja with chemical weapons, no one spoke out. No one mentioned that he had used chemical weapons until 2003, long after the event, when it was invoked as an excuse to attack him. So the narrative about chemical weapons is nothing but an excuse.”
“Either there will be foreign intervention again, or the groups inside will unite their forces.”
Pointing out that the Iranian regime does not listen to its people, Balekanî remarked, “Had it learned lessons from Saddam and Assad, it would have taken steps to reform itself. We witnessed the people’s opposition during the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ (Woman, Life, Freedom) revolution. There are two forces that can bring about change in Iran. Peyman Viyan, the co-chair of the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (PJAK), says: “It is the Kurds who will bring change and transformation to the Middle East.” Kurds and women. They can change Iran. Iran is afraid of them. That’s why it has deployed its forces to Rojhilat Kurdistan (Iran’s Kurdish-majority northwest). It wants to intimidate the population. The Iranian people do not support the regime and are discontented, but the regime ignores this. This shows that things cannot continue this way. Either there will be foreign intervention again, or the groups inside will unite their forces.”
Referring to the events as a war of hegemons, Balekanî stated, “They kept Russia busy with Ukraine and pushed it out of the Middle East. Now they want to block the market held by China, which is also Iran’s market. Iran does not have the power to close the Strait of Hormuz because this would also affect China. They don’t want Iran to be completely wiped out. They want an Iran that suits their interests. This is not a war to defeat Iran. The US does not want regime change. However, over the course of 12 days, dozens of commanders were killed. Iran did not anticipate suffering such heavy losses, so it requested a ceasefire. Despite the ceasefire, the risk of mutual attacks persists. Those who want the war in Iran to end must unite. The Kurds also need to unite. The PJAK co-chair says: “Military forces should not be tied to political parties.” For Rojhilat, Abdullah Öcalan proposes the concept of Democratic Confederalism. This is the most accurate and viable approach.”
“In Rojava, the slogan ‘A society cannot be free until women are free’ came to life, and today it echoes again in the streets of Iran. The ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ revolution is not over — it has just paused. It will start again and continue until victory.”
In this context, Balekanî drew attention to the system that had been established during the war in North and East Syria. He said, “There is the example of Rojava. Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen and Syriac people live within that system. Everyone receives their education in their mother tongue. ISIS attacked, massacred people and looted cities. But in Rojava, a system thrived. In this sense, Rojhilat has more potential. This is because there is experience from the drone wars in Shengal. Rojhilat can learn from shortcomings experienced in Rojava. There are also shortcomings in Başûr (Iraqi Kurdistan), and for 33 years they have been unable to unite peshmerga under one umbrella. Rojhilat can learn from all these experiences. PJAK is not a new organisation.”
“This is why Rojhilat has more potential. PJAK is a dynamic force. In 2011, it engaged in active warfare with Iran. There is an active agreement between the Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan (Komala) and PJAK. Through the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ resistance movement, PJAK and Komala joined forces to create a unified military force with military and political cohesion. The agreement continues. PJAK is capable of leading other peoples too. In statements by PJAK’s co-chairs, it was said that the ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ revolution proved that Kurds can indeed take the lead. The people of Iran acknowledge this as well. This is because the world also embraces Abdullah Öcalan’s ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ philosophy. In Rojava, the slogan ‘A society cannot be free until women are free’ came to life, and today it echoes again in the streets of Iran. The ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’ revolution is not over — it has just paused. It will start again and continue until victory.’
“Kurds have the potential to drive change and transformation in Iran.”
Speaking about the Middle East, Balekanî stated that forced change in the region would harm some people. “This will lead to the denial of the peoples’ will and identity, which in turn will lead to new wars.” However, he argued, “if democracy can be built on the principles proposed by Abdullah Öcalan, there would be no war. Change will come peacefully. Without Öcalan’s project, the Kurds could never have liberated the region up to Deir ez-Zor. Because the Arabs would not have accepted it. This is why PJAK’s message to the Azerbaijani people about Turkey and Iran trying to incite strife between them was important. PJAK is saying, ‘We have Azerbaijani friends and we will live together. Kurds and Azerbaijanis must live together.’ There is an example of this in Rojava. If the Kurds can live alongside Arabs and other peoples there, why can’t we do the same?”
“In Rojhilat, Kurds, Azerbaijanis and Arabs can unite to create a system. The Baloch people should unify too. Two million Kurds live in Khorasan. Kurds have the potential to drive change and transformation in Iran. They can disrupt designs orchestrated by Iran and the hegemonic powers. If this happens, the hegemonic powers’ plans will be thwarted. The Baloch people must unite with the Kurds. Otherwise, they will not be able to move around the Middle East with ease. Today, the Kurds are in a strong position and can devise new strategies.’
Commenting on the need for unity among the Kurds, Balekanî said, “If the Kurds want to have power, they must unite. In Rojava, the Kurdish National Council (ENKS) opposed the system for years and sided with gangs. This harmed cohesion, but they eventually found the right path. We don’t want the same thing to happen in Rojhilat. The wrong path does not lead to victory. Parties that stand apart from society are destined for defeat. Today, those who organise through communes and lead the people are the ones who will win. PJAK states: “We are ready to entrust our power to the authority of the people. An autonomous administration should be established, and we are ready to become members of it.” In other words, the people must unite.”
