Iraq must stay out of Israel-Gaza war, says President Barzani

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq must “tread carefully” as an involvement in the ongoing Israel-Gaza war will only increase the sufferings of the country and the whole world must instead work towards a ceasefire and a two-state solution, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani said on Monday. 

“We in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region must tread carefully. We must not allow Iraq to be involved in this war in any way because it will lead to more problems, and Iraq will suffer a lot,” Barzani said at a regional forum in Duhok.

Over 13,200 people, including more than 5,000 children, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since early October, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The bombardment is part of Israel’s retaliation to an attack by Hamas on October 7 that killed around 1,200 people. 

“It is time for the whole world to make efforts towards a ceasefire and to stop killing civilians in Gaza … and to solve the root issue of Palestine and Israel on the basis of a two state solution,” Barzani said. 

The two-state solution is a proposal that has been discussed for decades and has gained renewed traction since the start of the latest war, with Western leaders calling for its implementation.

“The two-state solution proposed by the United Nations which guarantees the rights of both sides is the only way to end the issues,” he stressed. 

The war in Gaza has sparked sympathy across the Arab world, including Iraq, where the Palestinian cause has traditionally received widespread support.  

“It is time to make Iraq a field of solving the issues of the Iraqi people, not a field of expanding wars in the region,” President Barzani reiterated. “Force and war do not solve issues, maybe they temporarily silence issues, but it makes them deeper.” 

Earlier in November, Barzani called for a “strategic issue” to end the war in Gaza after meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. He once again called for a two-state solution and stressed that Iraq must not be dragged into the conflict.

Six weeks into the war, Israel has received multiple calls for a ceasefire from the United Nations and rights groups. The United Nations Security Council last week passed called for urgent “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting to allow for the delivery of aid.

In the last two weeks, the Security Council has made four attempts at passing a resolution. The council stalemate on reaching a solution has been caused by the differences in opinion over whether to call for a ceasefire or solely a pause. Russia has pushed for a ceasefire while the US has stopped short of doing so.