A senior Kurdish leader has indicated openness to establishing relations with Israel while expressing disagreement with its current policies, following the Israeli Foreign Minister’s characterisation of Kurds as “natural allies”.
Speaking to Medya Haber TV on 14 November, Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Executive Council member Zübeyir Aydar said the Kurdish movement could engage with Israel despite opposing its policies, particularly regarding Palestine. “We can establish relations with Israel. The peoples of the region should live together in peace,” Aydar stated.
His comments followed Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar’s remarks on 10 November, calling for stronger ties with Kurds and other regional minorities. Saar described the Kurdish people as “natural allies” of Israel.
Aydar emphasised that the Kurdish movement’s priority remains peaceful coexistence with neighbouring peoples. “We live together with Turks, Arabs, Azeris, and Persians. Our priority is to live in peace with them,” he explained.
The Kurdish leader distanced his movement from pursuing a divisive regional strategy. “The Kurdish movement does not follow a policy of ‘my enemy’s enemy is my friend,'” Aydar highlighted.
Saar had described Kurds as “victims of oppression and aggression from Iran and Turkey” and advocated for strengthening ties with Kurdish communities across the region, citing both political and security considerations.
Kurdish attitudes towards Israel have historically varied across different groups and regions. While some Kurdish factions, particularly in Iraq, have maintained unofficial ties with Israel, others, like the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which operates under the KCK umbrella, have opposed Israeli policies and expressed support for Palestinian causes.
