Kurds Are Among Winners Of Israel-UAE Peace Agreement
August 30, 2020, 12:53 am

Kurds Are Among Winners Of Israel-UAE Peace Agreement

Jwan Dibo

Kurds are considered one of the beneficiaries of the recent Israeli-Emirati peace agreement.At first glance, this conclusion might seem bizarre and does not make sense. But after scrutinyand analysis, it can be argued that the Kurds are one of the winners of the recent Israel-UAE peace treaty.

Firstly, the peace accord has happened between two countries that deemed as friends of Kurds and strong supporters of the establishment of an independent Kurdish state.

This supportive stance by both states was very clear during the independence referendum for Kurdistan region of Iraq in September 2017.

Secondly, this new peace pact between UAE and Israel is another sort of regional alignment in the context of the emergence of regional axes.

The axis of moderation represented by UAE, Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia versus the axis of extremism, aggression and interference in others’ affairs represented by Turkey, Iran, Qatar and their local agents. Since the main problem of the Kurds is with Turkey and Iran, the countries which oppress Kurds and prevent them from obtaining their rights, so Kurds are classified within the first axis.

Thirdly, the peace truce between Israel and UAE helps to reduce the intensity and level of the populist and racist discourse throughout the region. This, in turn, will positively affect the general public views of Arab, Turkish and Persian peoples towardsthe Kurdish question in the Middle East.

This peace agreement will place the Kurdish issue in the Middle East, as a whole and partly, into the regional leverage game. Thus, the Kurds will gain more presence and influence at the regional and international levels. This will happen because the Israeli-Emirati peace

agreement is on the opposite side of Turkey-Iran axis. These both countries are regarded as enemies of the Kurds and deprive them from gaining their legitimate rights, whether inside or outside their borders. Consequently, any real support will be provided by UAE and Israel

to the Kurds in the future, politically or on the ground, will positively impact the role and future of the Kurds in the entire Middle East. In contrast, this will negatively affect the influence of the Turkish-Iranian bloc.It is true that, in politics, there are no permanent enemies, no permanent friends, there are only permanent interests. However, since the Turkish-Iranian axis poses an existential threat

to Israel and UAE, therefore, their dealing with the Kurds from now onwards will be on a strategic basis, not only from a tactical perspective.

It is not a secret that Israel and UAE in the Middle East are the most supporters of the establishment of an independent Kurdistan. That is not only because of the affection for the Kurds, but because the interests of both states require the formation of an independent Kurdish state. For Israel, the formation of a Kurdish state will change the regional balance of power in its favour.

At the same time, that will be on contrary to the interests of Turkey and Iran. This, also, applies to UAE, especially with regard to its fear of the greed of its terrifying neighbour, that is, Iran. In return, what is required of Kurdish leaders in all parts of Kurdistan, especially in Iraqi Kurdistan and Syrian Kurdistan, is positive interaction with the consequences of this agreement and preparation for what may emerge from it at the regional and Kurdish levels.

by : Jwan Dibo

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