Despite the Middle East’s deep history of conflict, there has always been a quiet but profound bond of understanding between Kurds and Jews. Both peoples have experienced exile, denial, and the struggle for identity throughout history; both have paid great prices to preserve their national identity.
Today, the trajectories of these two peoples are intersecting once again, not through an open alliance but through what might be called “distant proximity.” The caution that Kurds display regarding direct rapprochement with Israel is as much a matter of historical wisdom as it is strategic necessity.
The Kurds are a people divided under the pressure of four separate states. In Rojava (North and East Syria), Kurds must maintain delicate balances due to the mandatory presence of Arab groups.
Antisemitic reflexes and anti-Israel political culture, still strong among Arab tribes, make it difficult for the Kurdish administration to establish open diplomatic relations. The Rojava administration pursues a policy of not developing direct relations with Israel as a balancing strategy to preserve regional stability. This is not ideological distance but entirely a precaution imposed by regional realities.
In South Kurdistan, the picture is different but similarly complex. The Erbil administration is under intense pressure from three fronts: Turkey, Iran, and the Iraqi central government. All three actors’ hostility toward Israel is well known; therefore, the Kurdish administration’s establishment of open relations with Israel could directly endanger its existence.
Maintaining a delicate balance
After the 2017 independence referendum, the Western world’s and Israel’s inability to provide open support to the Kurds further highlighted this fragile balance. The Kurdish administration has been forced to maintain these delicate balances in order to survive.
The political movement in North Kurdistan (Turkish Kurdistan) has been under Ankara’s harsh pressure for many years. In the post-2015 period, thousands of Kurdish politicians have been arrested through judicial operations, trustees have been appointed to municipalities, and opposition media has been silenced. In such an environment, even defending Kurdish identity is defined as a security threat.
Therefore, politics conducted in this region is limited to survival strategy. In Iran, the Kurdish opposition faces systematic suppression, executions, and constant attacks aimed at its elimination. The Tehran administration views Kurdish empowerment as a “threat of fragmentation” and perceives any potential contact with Israel as a mortal threat.
This entire picture shows that Kurds are not cold toward Israel but merely strategically distant. This distance does not reject the possibility of partnership. On the contrary, it is a form of proximity that needs to be strengthened on the right ground. At this point, the diaspora can assume a historically key role for both peoples.
Jewish and Kurdish diasporas
The Jewish Diaspora, despite centuries of exile and separation, succeeded in preserving its identity and establishing an effective diplomatic network around the world. Today, a similar potential is emerging within the Kurdish diaspora.
The Kurdish diaspora is becoming increasingly visible in many of the world’s capitals: centers such as Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, and Stockholm. However, it is not yet an organized, professional, and institutional force.
Here, the Jewish Diaspora’s experience can serve as a model for Kurds. The intellectual infrastructure, think-tank networks, media platforms, and political lobbying mechanisms established by Jewish institutions are inspiring examples for Kurds to elevate their own freedom struggle to the international plane.
The common enemy – antisemitism and anti-Kurdish racism – is a natural ground for solidarity between these two peoples. The hatred directed at both Jews and Kurds is fed by the same ideological roots: authoritarian nationalism, sectarian hatred, and hostility to democratic values.
The diaspora can also become not just a symbolic but a strategic diplomatic center for Kurds. Processes of mutual trust, joint work, and close acquaintance with the Jewish people will form the foundation of future cooperation. This partnership will contribute not only to Kurdish liberation but also to Israel’s acquisition of lasting friends in the region.
In the long term, an independent Kurdistan could create a stable partnership ground for Israel’s security balance in the region. The rhetoric of “natural alliance with the Kurds” previously articulated by Israeli ministers can now be transformed from a theoretical aspiration into a practical strategy at the diaspora level.
Kurds can establish a common democratic axis with Israel within the framework of a vision for a peaceful future. This axis is based not on religion or ideology but on a shared ethical heritage: the legacy of resisting oppression and preserving identity.
Israel’s security does not conflict with Kurdish freedom. Rather, it is the natural outcome of two peoples’ complementary search for regional stability. No matter how great regional threats appear today, the course of history is bringing these two peoples close to each other once again.
Kurds and Jews are two peoples distant from each other yet close at heart. When this proximity is built on the right foundations, it will not only heal the wounds of the past but will open a new page for the future of the Middle East. The path from strategic distance to lasting friendship is being quietly drawn today at the diaspora table with determination, maturity, and historical consciousness.
The writer is a Kurdish exiled journalist, political analyst, and Middle East observer focusing on Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Kurdish affairs. a.mardin@icloud.com