Israelis mainly of Kurdish origin take part in a gathering outside the American Embassy in Tel Aviv on Oct. 26. (Amir Cohen/Reuters)
Washington Post: Iraq’s parliament reinstates ban on Israeli flag
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s parliament voted unanimously to activate a lapsed law that criminalizes displaying the Israeli flag in public, an unexpected step that comes in response to a Kurdish bid to secede.
The move illustrates both the deep injury Iraq’s Arab majority felt when the nation’s Kurds held an independence referendum last month — and the resurgent Arab nationalism the vote has provoked.
Israel was the only country to publicly support the referendum for an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq that took place in September. The move had been strenuously opposed by Baghdad, Iran, Turkey and even the Kurds’ closest ally, the United States.
In a show of gratitude for Israel’s support, Kurds proudly waved large Israeli flags at massive rallies held ahead of the vote. Although it seemed unusual for the blue and white flag to appear so freely in a region largely hostile to Israel, for Kurds it was the continuation of a historic friendship.
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WNU Editor: Instead of addressing the deep sectarian divisions within Iraq that has caused years of war and bloodshed .... the Iraqi parliament decides that their priority should be to make it a crime to display the Israeli flag. This in a nutshell illustrates how screwed-up Iraq really is.
