Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly voiced support for an independent Kurdish state, ahead of a referendum by Iraqi Kurds on the issue.
In a statement sent from his office, Mr Netanyahu confirmed that Israel still considered the Kurdistan Workers Party (the PKK) to be a terrorist organisation, in line with the policy of US and Turkey. However, the statement also affirmed that Israel “supports the legitimate efforts of the Kurdish people to achieve their own state".
Although this is not the first time Mr Netanyahu has backed the creation of an independent country for the Kurds, the intervention comes at a particularly sensitive time. The referendum, which seems likely to take place at the end of September, will go ahead despite the objections of the Iraqi parliament, which voted against it.
However, Mr Netanyahu’s comments may also have been an indirect response to remarks made by a prominent Israeli general.
