The Suffering Ballad of the Kurdish Mountain People in the Middle East: Israel Becomes the First Country to Publicly Support Kurdish Independence

For more than a century, the Kurds - estimated to be between 30 million and 45 million people, spread across Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran, with smaller numbers in Azerbaijan and Armenia, southern Russia, and Israel - are the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East, after Arabs, Turks, and Persians. They are also the largest stateless nation in the world. They do not have a unified flag, nor do they have a seat at the United Nations.

The Kurds are the oldest existing ethnic group in the Middle East, having lived in the mountainous region known as Kurdistan for over two thousand years. They used to lead a nomadic or mercenary life, but later gradually spread to surrounding areas, suffering persecution and intense conflicts with countries such as Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. In recent years, there have been calls for Kurdish independence, but members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party are still classified as terrorists by Western countries.

Under Hafez al-Assad's rule in Syria, Kurdish national costumes, festivals, and Kurdish language publications were completely banned.

Turkey has repeatedly carried out bloody suppressions of Kurdish uprisings. Before 1991, the word "Kurd" itself was a taboo in Turkey, and Kurds could only refer to themselves as "Mountain Turks."

Under the Ba'athist regime in Iraq, due to Saddam's "Arabization" policy, the persecution of Iraqi Kurds reached its peak, with many Kurds being expelled to Iran or directly killed.

Most Kurds are Sunni Muslims, with most following the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence (which is prevalent among Sufi orders, different from the Hanafi school followed by Arabs and Turks in the surrounding areas), while a minority are Shia Muslims (including Alawi and Twelver sects). Some Kurds also follow other religions such as Yazidism, Yarsanism, and Zoroastrianism.

Kurds speak Kurdish (a member of the Iranian branch of the Indo-European language family). Kurdish has two writing systems: Arabic script is mainly used in Iraq and Iran, while Latin script is mainly used in Turkey and Syria. The two regions originally had the same language, differing only in writing systems; however, due to long-term separation, the two languages have started to show significant differences in vocabulary.

Family Ties in Exile: Kurdish-Jewish Connections

Long before the formation of the modern Middle East, Kurdish Jews thrived in towns such as Zakho, Amadiya, and Erbil, speaking Aramaic and living harmoniously with Muslims and Christians.

Between 1950 and 1952, most Kurdish Jews migrated to Israel through the "Operation Ezra and Nehemiah," preserving their cultural heritage through language, songs, and rituals. Their descendants play a significant role in Israeli public life.

Israel's sympathy for the Kurdish struggle stems from a shared history: both nations have experienced displacement, persecution, and resilience. Since the 1960s, Israel has viewed the Kurds as natural allies - a secular, diverse buffer zone between hostile countries. In 2017, Israel became the first country to publicly support Kurdish independence.

Source: Reports from "International Insights"

Original: toutiao.com/article/1859168069911751/

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