Iraq’s parliament in Baghdad voted on Tuesday to criminalize flying the Israeli flag in the country, after accusing Israel and Mossad of orchestrating the Kurdish independence referendum on September 25 to establish, in the words of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a “second Israel” in the Middle East.
I24news reported that “The House of Representatives voted during its regular session, today, a decision to criminalize all who raise the flag of the Zionist entity in public circles.”
Siham al-Moussawi, an MP of the Badr Bloc which is affiliated with the Iranian-backed Shiite militia force Badr Organization, told Arabic media that the decision was made at the request of his party. Al-Moussawi said that “the Iraqi Constitution and the laws in force absolutely prohibit dealing with the Zionist entity as an enemy of the Arab nation.”
He further noted that “the government of Iraq confronts hostile nations, including the Zionist entity, and we have information on the presence of elements of the Mossad within the region.” He attacked the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) for allowing the raising of “the flag of Israel in the region” and added that “Mossad promoted and supported Barzani [the KRG’s President] during his separatist project under the premise of the referendum.”
Iraq’s central government, Turkey, Iran, and its Lebanese terror proxy Hezbollah all accused Israel of orchestrating the vote, which triggered a deep crisis with Baghdad. Israel, meanwhile, denied any involvement in the referendum.
The accusations surfaced, after Israeli flags were raised during a number of pro-independence rallies in the Kurdistan region, the U.S. and across Europe. The KRG has maintained that their appearances were “spontaneous” and not organized by the government.
The Kurds have never been in conflict with Israel, nor do they harbor any enmity towards the Jewish people. So far, Jerusalem and Erbil have followed a policy of caution; the decades-long relationship between Israel and the Kurdistan region takes place mainly through secret diplomacy.
Thus far, Israel is the only country backing a Kurdish state, hoping it will serve as a bulwark against Islamic extremism and Iranian hegemony in the region. Since the vote, Kurdish Peshmerga forces have come under attack by elements of the Iraqi army and Iranian-backed Shiite militia forces, shirking the KRG-controlled territory by almost 40 percent.
Jonathan Spyer, head of the Rubin Center, wrote recently that Iran and its allies are pushing to isolate the KRG even further.
[Photo: Hananya Naftali / YouTube]