ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Israel’s foreign minister expressed “moral and diplomatic” support for Kurds in Syria and urged the international community to do the same, in an interview published on Saturday.
“In conversations I’ve had with foreign ministers worldwide - from [US Secretary of State] Antony Blinken to others - I’ve stressed the international community’s responsibility to the Kurds,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told the Jerusalem Post.
Sa’ar noted the sacrifices Kurds made in the fight against ISIS and warned against any potential dismantling of their autonomy.
During Syria’s 13-year civil war, Kurds carved out an autonomous region in the northeast, establishing their own governance system and an armed force, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that are partnered with the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS). The SDF lost an estimated 11,000 fighters in the war against the jihadists.
“The Kurds are a pro-Western and friendly group, and we must stand by them,” Sa’ar said, underscoring Israel’s moral and diplomatic support for the Kurds.
The Kurds now face an uncertain future in the new Syria.
A coalition of rebel groups spearheaded by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8. They have formed a transitional government that is expected to expire in March and are working to disarm the various rebel factions.
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi has repeatedly said that they respect the new authority in Damascus and plan to send a delegation to the capital for talks. Abdi told Asharq Al-Awsat in a recent interview that they are willing to merge the SDF into a Syrian new army if both sides agree on a “suitable formula through negotiations.”
The Kurdish administration has decided to raise the new flag of Syria that has been used by HTS and other anti-Assad groups since the civil war began more than a decade ago.
The Kurdish forces are currently trying to stop an offensive by armed militias backed by Turkey who are attacking a key dam on the Euphrates River and threatening the town of Kobane.
Ankara considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) a terrorist group and a national security threat. The YPG forms the backbone of the SDF. The Turkish government, therefore, opposes international support for the SDF.
