Israeli parliamentarians have held discussions on ways to help Kurds build their own state in Syria, Iraq and Turkey. According to one of Israel's radio stations, the legislation in question was submitted to the Knesset by two Israeli right-wing parties, Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu. The radio quoted Yoav Kish as saying that backing the Kurdish minorities living in these countries (all of which are extremely hostile to Israel) now might be directly in the hands of the Israeli state.
"There is a reason why Israel was the first to publicly congratulate the "independence" of the Kurds in northern Iraq," Kish added.
In 2017, Israel became the only country to support the Kurdish plebiscite that endorsed Iraq's Kurdish secession - a move that has been criticized by numerous countries.
At the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Tel-Aviv supports what he called "the Kurdish people's legitimate efforts to achieve their own state." Along with political support, Israel was reportedly a major buyer of Kurdistan's oil and the main investor in the region in 2017.
Comment: Israel is secretly buying Kurdish oil through Turkey - Similar channel was used for ISIS oil
The referendum on Iraqi Kurdistan's independence , which took place on September 25 last year, triggered new tension in the region. More than 90 percent of voters who participated in the referendum supported independence from Baghdad.
Iraqi officials declared the referendum illegal, while Turkey and Iran have vehemently criticized the referendum and threatened to impose harsh sanctions on Iraq's Kurdish capital, Erbil.
Israel is continuing to push for an independent Kurdistan, counting on such becoming the first country in the Middle East to have official, friendly relations with the Zionist occupation entity. It is this strategic value that has spurred Israeli policymakers to push for so-called Kurdish independence and greater official Israeli support for the latter.
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