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A conference in Iraq in favor of normalization with Israel caused a stir
About 300 people, including political representatives and Sunni and Shiite tribal leaders, gathered in the capital of the Kurdish region and expressed support for joining the Abrahamic Accords.
Their statement was met with outrage by senior Iraqi officials and Shiite religious leader Mukdata al-Sadr called for the arrest of participants
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Iraq
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Sunday, 26 September 2021, 10:37 Updated: 10:38
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(Photo: GettyImages, Safin HAMED / AFP)
A peace conference in Iraq that called for normalization with Israel caused a stir in the country, and a series of condemnations from senior officials. More than 300 people, including political representatives and tribal leaders, attended an event organized by the American Research Institute at the Peace Center in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish Autonomous Region, on Friday.
"We demand to join the Avraham agreements," said Sahar a-Taai, one of the conference participants who read the summary statement of the conference held at the Arbil Hotel. "We also want normal relations with Israel, and no force, local or foreign, has the right to prevent this," added Tai, who heads a research institute at the Iraqi Ministry of Culture.
While the Kurdish region has friendly relations with the State of Israel, which even supported its independence, official Iraq has participated in Arab wars and neighboring Iran has a great deal of influence on local politics.
The Iraqi government rejected the conference statement, which it said was illegal and did not represent the public.
The office of Iraqi President Bharam Salah, a Kurd himself, joined in the condemnation, and the powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on the government to arrest the participants.
Ahmad Assadi, a member of parliament from the Shiite militias, called them "traitors by law."
The founder of the research institute, Joseph Brody - an American Jew of Iraqi descent - told AFP that the 300 participants in the conference came from six different provinces in Iraq, including Baghdad and Mosul, including Sunni and Shiite representatives, tribal leaders, intellectuals and writers.
Hemi Peres, the son of former President Shimon Peres, was also present.
"Normalization with Israel is necessary now," said Sheikh Rissan al-Halbussi, a representative from Anbar province, who noted the UAE-Morocco agreements with Israel.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also welcomed the conference yesterday.
"The State of Israel is reaching out to you for peace," he tweeted.
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