In the beginning, the planners in Israel and on top of the list Uri Lubrani the former advisor of the Prime Minister then our Ambassador in Turkey, Ethiopia and Iran has planned the frame and the content of the Israeli support to the Kurds. In the beginning the support was modest, it was political support and flagging the Kurdish cause in the media. The Kurds were not able to flag their cause in the United States and Europe and even inside some of the European countries. The support was also financial but limited. The important change started in 1972. This support took greater strategic and security dimensions, giving the Kurds weapons through Turkey and Iran, receiving Kurdish groups for training in Israel and even in Turkey and Iran.

This active support was to mark an important strategic evolution in the relationship between Israel and the Kurds.

We expected this strategic alliance with the Kurds and our continuous support to them to achieve important goals and results... if it weren’t for the Shah of Iran and Iraq to reach and agreement in 1975 in Algeria.

This deal between Iraq and Iran in Algeria gave a severe blow to the Kurdish aspiration but according to the testimonies of high ranking Israeli generals…this relationship continued with the Kurdish leader Mustafa Barazani. The Kurds never lost hope, on the contrary they insisted to continue their struggle against the leadership in Baghdad. After the collapse of the Kurdish resistance as a result of the deal between Iraq and Iran; the Kurdish leadership was distributed to Syria, Turkey and Israel. On the basis of moral obligation and moral duty Israel stayed on the side of the Kurds and support them in reaching their national goal of achieving self-government and independence at some later stage.. I will not take much time lecturing about the past, I must lecture about our achievements in Iraq which were beyond our imagination and beyond what we had hoped for.

What we felt from the Kurds during their meetings with Israeli officers, they never failed to mention the support of Israel to them, and they could not imagine the achievements to be so great and they couldn't do it on their own without our support.

As for us, our goals were achieved and that is in the support for the project of a Kurdish state. We never imagined that all our goals would be achieved during one time as a result of the war the United States declared on Iraq which resulted in it’s occupation.

The Iraq which we imagined in our strategic vision to be and stay the biggest and most dangerous threat to Israel after it became a military power, suddenly it faded away as Iraq as a country and a military power and even as a united country faded away. Dividing Iraq into geographical territories, the segregation of it’s society, witnessing a fierce and destructive civil war resulting in the death of thousands of people. If we observe the Iraqi situation since 2003, we will be facing more than one scenario :

Our active struggle will be kept the same in this field, as long as US forces stay in Iraq, which will provide us with an umbrella and a chance so as to forestall any chance for the return of Iraq to its pre-2003 status -- united and strong.

We use all invisible means in politics and security to keep this country weak. We want to create safeguards and ballasts not in northern Iraq, but in the capital Baghdad too. We are trying to weave relationships with some of the political and economic elites so they can act and remain a guarantee for us to keep Iraq outside the circle of the Arab States, which are in a state of war with Israel.

Iraq until 2003 was in a state of war with Israel…and considered the war with Israel as the top of its priorities. Israel was facing a real strategic challenge in Iraq, although Iraq went to war with Iran which lasted 8 years…Iraq developed and strengthened itself strategically and militarily, including its quest to acquire nuclear weapons. This situation must not be repeated. We are negotiating with the Americans on this topic, for the sake of cutting the road and blocking it in front of Iraq once and for all and assuring that Iraq will never return to its past status as a belligerent country in a state of war with Israel. The U.S. administration is keen to ensure our interests and to provide these guarantees through various means, and they are:

In addition to these safeguards, there are also efforts and steps we take individually to ensure that these strong safeguards block the way in the face of Iraq to return to its past position of adversary. The continuation of the current situation in Iraq and support of the Kurds in Northern Iraq as a distinct political entity, gives us strong and important guarantees for Israeli national security in the foreseeable future, at least. We are also working to develop a security partnership and strategic relationship with the Kurdish leadership, although this might anger Turkey as a friendly country. We have spared no effort to convince the Turkish leadership, and in particular, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Abdullah Gul, and even military leaders that our support for the Kurds in Iraq does not affect the situation of the Kurds in Turkey.