'Reaching out for peace': Naftali Bennett says Israel wants to normalize ties with Iraq

Israeli PM Naftali Bennett, Saturday, said that his country “extends its hands in peace” in response to a recent call by Iraqis to normalise ties with the Zionist state. On Friday, more than 300 prominent Iraqis, both Shias and Sunnis, coalesced to call for peace with Israel and to end decades of fraught talks. Later in a tweet, Bennett opined that the call came from the conflict-hit Iraqi residents and not from the government. 

Iraq and Israel have been at war ever since the Jewish state was formed in 1948. However, their relationship hit rock bottom after Baghdad, without any provocation fired 42 scud missiles on Israel during the Gulf War in 1991. While the aim was to prompt Israeli participation in the conflict, the Zionist stopped short of retaliation following a request from the US. Iraq has not yet formally recognised the Israeli state till date. 

'Full diplomatic relations' 

While the calls to join the Abraham Accords are growing across Iraq, the country’s leaders have staunchly opposed it. “We demand full diplomatic relations with the State of Israel… and a new policy of normalization based on people-to-people relations with the citizens of that country,” Wissam al-Hardan, an Iraqi leader said at the conference held in the Kurdistan region. Calling for communal harmony, he also called the expulsion of Jews from the country as its “most infamous act”. 

While Israel is looking to end deadlock with Iraq, its conflict with Palestine is on the rise. On Friday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas warned Israel to withdrawal to the 1967 boundaries within one year or face repercussions. Following the six-day war in 1967, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. While Palestinians initially objected to it, they later accepted the demarcations under Oslo Accords, allowing the Palestinians to self-govern the captured land. However, over the years, the zionists have increased their influence in the region by building hundreds of settlements and cementing their claim on the land.

Furthermore, Abbas said that he was ready to work throughout this year on delineating borders and solving all final status issues under the auspices of the international Quartet and in accordance with United Nations resolutions. “If this is not achieved, why maintain recognition of Israel based on the 1967 borders?" he said. In addendum, he also threatened the Naftali Bennett administration with a complaint in International Criminal Court (ICC) if it continues to stall the peace pact. 

Image: AP/NaftalliBennett/Twitter