The Kurds in northern Iraq are crying for help after a recent independence referendum sparked a backlash by the Iraqi government, according to a deluge of communiques from Kurdistan itself and its supporters across the world.
Arutz Sheva spoke with Middle East scholar Dr. Eddy Cohen ahead of a police-approved demonstration scheduled for Thursday at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv at 5:00 PM.
"The Kurds sought independence and as a first step they held a referendum in which 93% chose independence. Since then the Iraqis and the Iranians have been attacking them," says Dr. Cohen, who maintains close contact with Kurdish elements fighting in the region.
"The city of Kirkuk has fallen," observes Dr. Cohen anxiously, noting that "the city is rich in oil, and according to various publications Israel purchases seventy percent of its oil from there."
Today, Rudaw.net reported that Iran's Supreme Leader's Chief of Staff said that Iran foiled a plot to "create a second Israel in Iraq", referring to Kurdish attempts to establish an independent state in autonomous Kurdistan.
"The Iranians are expanding into Syria and Lebanon. If the Kurds lose the war, the Iranians will reach Mount Sinjar near the Syrian border, which is a serious blow to Israel's security. The public does not know what Mount Sinjar is, but this is the mountain from which Saddam Hussein fired 39 missiles at us.
"The media doesn't talk about the massacre of our allies that's taking place, and it's in our interest to cleanse the area of terrorists and Shi'ite elements. When it comes to a hunger-striking terrorist, the media doesn't stop talking about it, but when Kurds are being slaughtered it barely makes the news."
What can Israelis do? According to Cohen, quite a bit: "There are a variety of ways to help them, declaratively, morally, diplomatically. We can mediate between them and the Russians, we can send humanitarian aid like we sent to Mexico and other countries. It is possible to activate the Jews of the United States to work with the Trump government, which the Kurds see as betraying them."
The Kurdish attitude toward Israel can be summed up in one word: disappointment."They are very disappointed with us; they tell me that they raised our flag in Europe and apparently because of that they are hated in Europe ... The Turkish president said this explicitly, and he said that Israel would help them."
Dr. Cohen said that his Kurdish contacts told him that today (Tuesday) "there was an attack by the pro-Iranian militia, they tried to penetrate, but this attack was stopped.The Kurds have no weapons and the pro-Iranian militia has weapons left by the US in Iraq, including the Abrams tanks. Everyone deserves recognition and self-determination; only 50 million Kurds have no right to self-determination." Cohen asks the Israeli public not to idly sit by, but to participate in the planned demonstration tomorrow (Thursday) at 5:00 in front of the American embassy in Tel Aviv, "and protest against the thunderous silence and American betrayal of the noble Kurdish people."