A group of Iranian Kurdish Peshmerga members of the PDKI, in Koya, Iraq. AFP archive photo.
“Long live Israel” and “Death to the terrorist regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” reads a recent post on X by Awat Berkhaneh, foreign affairs representative of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), based in the Netherlands. His message is one of many expressions of support among the Iranian Kurdish diaspora for Israel’s open war against Iran, launched June 13.“I understand their enthusiasm — they’ve always dreamed of seeing this regime fall. But the reality is more complex,” said Abdulla Hawez, a Kurdish affairs analyst affiliated with the London School of Economics.Iranian Kurds have long opposed the Islamic Republic, with tensions peaking during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement following the death of Mahsa Amini — a young Kurdish woman detained for improper hijab — in Sept. 2022. In response, Tehran ramped up...
“Long live Israel” and “Death to the terrorist regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” reads a recent post on X by Awat Berkhaneh, foreign affairs representative of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI), based in the Netherlands. His message is one of many expressions of support among the Iranian Kurdish diaspora for Israel’s open war against Iran, launched June 13.“I understand their enthusiasm — they’ve always dreamed of seeing this regime fall. But the reality is more complex,” said Abdulla Hawez, a Kurdish affairs analyst affiliated with the London School of Economics.Iranian Kurds have long opposed the Islamic Republic, with tensions peaking during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement following the death of Mahsa Amini — a young Kurdish woman detained for improper hijab — in Sept. 2022. In...