Opinion | Israel and Kurdistan: Deep and Significant Relationship Than | Israel today

The autonomous Kurds in Iraq succeeded in forging an alliance with Israel, the young and threatened state at the time, in the 1960s, many of whom were sure it would be a matter of time before it disappeared.

At the same time, Israel's intelligence and political leadership services have identified the importance of strategic ties with the Kurds in the Iraq, Syria and Turkey triangle.

The Kurds provided the goods and passed the tests that Israel set for them, and in return received generous financial assistance, in addition to security knowledge.

One of the great successes in the history of the Mossad would not have happened if they had not reached out and helped recruit Iraqi fighter pilot Munir Rafa, who defected to the Russian MiG-21 in 1966 to Israel, and gave Israel a huge advantage in the US administration corridors. Huge and whose performance worried Americans and their allies.  

Not only has oil been flowing for decades, and to the knowledge of the Iraqi government, according to foreign publications, it is coming to Israel.

Lee went to host a Kurdish MP and a Kurdish businessman about seven years ago, here in Israel.

Their stated goal, at least so I was told, was to try to acquire agricultural technologies.

From my conversations with both of them, it was absolutely clear that not only do they see Israel as their partner, but they are thirsty for exposing this relationship.

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The Kurdish people number about 30 million people, and they are divided into several countries.

The largest concentration is in northern Iraq and borders Syria, Iran and Turkey - and these are the three countries in which Israel is investing enormous efforts.

Some would argue that all security activity against Iran's nuclear weapons - and the fingers pointed at Israel - is being carried out by the Kurds, with their assistance and leadership, and here it is sufficient to recall that Israel was the first country in the world to publicly support full Kurdish independence in northern Iraq in 2017.

There is no doubt that the security archives are full of activity of Israel and Israelis in Kurdistan, which cannot be told about.

Only about four years ago, their leader, Massoud Barzani, interviewed Israeli journalist Henrika Zimmerman, told him about his ties with Israel, and even wrote a handwritten letter asking him to pass it on to senior Israeli officials.

All the information and further innovations are expected to be revealed in a book that will be published in the coming months.

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