Israel-PKK conflict
DateMilitary: June 1982 – June 1985
Political: 1978-present[1]
Location
Military conflict: Beqaa Valley
Political conflict: international
Result Israeli military victory, continued political dispute
Belligerents
 Israel Kurdistan Workers' Party
Supported by:
State of Palestine PLO
ASALA
Commanders and leaders
Menachem Begin
Ariel Sharon
Rafael Eitan
David Ivry
Ze'ev Almog
Yekutiel Adam
Benjamin Netanyahu		 Abdullah Öcalan
Duran Kalkan
Murat Karayılan
Mustafa Karasu
Mahsum Korkmaz
Cemîl Bayik
Besê Hozat
Strength
Over 40,000[2] Around 10,000[3]
Casualties and losses
None reported 11 killed, 15 captured[4][5][6]

The Israel-PKK conflict is a political conflict between Israel and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and also a former military conflict during the time in which the latter was based in Beqaa Valley. Even after the PKK left Beqaa Valley, it maintained its Anti-Zionist stance and an opposition to Israel, as part of Abdullah Öcalan's political doctrine.[1]

Background

The PKK's ideology started off as a Marxism–Leninism with a blend of Kurdish nationalism. Marxist-Leninists have a long history of hostility towards Zionism.[7] However, the PKK's ideology would later shift to Democratic confederalism, a left-wing, libertarian socialist, anti-capitalist, and internationalist ideology which also goes against Zionism.[8] Democratic confederalism aims to replace ethnostates and capitalism with administrative councils elected by locals, allowing the people to have autonomous control over themself while linking themself to other communities via a network of confederal councils. Democratic confederalism also hopes to dissolve the United Nations.[9] Abdullah Öcalan frequently stated his Anti-Zionist stance and also made negative statements towards the existence of Israel.[10] Various leading members of the PKK, such as Mustafa Karasu, Duran Kalkan, Cemîl Bayik, and Besê Hozat, have also made negative statements towards Zionism and Israel.[11][12][13]

Mustafa Karasu confirmed the PKK's official stance on Israel in which he said,

since the emergence of the PKK, we have been against Zionism. We compared the genocide of the Kurds in Turkey with Israeli Zionism and the Apartheid regime of South Africa. Since its founding, the PKK has fought side by side with the Palestinians. In 1982, 13 of our cadres fell in the fight against the occupation of Lebanon by Israel. The Israeli state also participated in the international conspiracy against Abdullah Öcalan, and murdered four of our comrades in Berlin. No doubt, we will never forget the support the Palestinians gave to the Kurdish people in the 1980s. Our attitude towards Zionism has always been ideological. Until today, we stand on the side of the Palestinians and all those who are fighting for a democratic solution in the region.[1]

History

After their expulsion from Turkey, the PKK relocated to the Beqaa Valley in Lebanon with the support of Hafiz al-Assad's Syrian government.[14] The PKK initially received training in PLO camps, although they established small training camps later. After the 1982 Lebanon War broke out, the PKK fought alongside their allied PLO and ASALA and other militants against Israel and its allied Lebanese Christian militias. The PKK ordered all of its armed units to fight against the Israeli forces, who launched an invasion in southern Lebanon. A total of 11 PKK fighters were killed during the war.[4][5] In 1986, the PKK established the Mahsum Korkmaz Academy, their largest training camp in Beqaa.[15][16] The Mahsum Korkmaz Academy remained a training camp for PKK recruits until Turkey pressured the Syrian government to make the PKK close it. The PKK eventually closed it and relocated to Damascus in 1992,[17] which it also left in 1998 when they relocated to Qandil Mountains.[18] The PLO's DFLP and PFLP deciding to shelter the PKK in Beqaa Valley had a huge impact on the ideology of the PKK's founding generation. The PKK fighters learned guerrilla warfare and had a much stronger feeling of internationalism because of their experience in Beqaa Valley.[6]

An additional 15 PKK members were captured by the Israeli army and taken to an Israeli prison built on occupied Ansar, Lebanon. Serxwebûn (PKK's official magazine) in its June 1984 edition, featured drawings and poetry from the imprisoned PKK fighters, including one Kurdish PKK fighter from Iran, codenamed Sami. Sami told his experience of being beaten by an Israeli interrogator who told him “you came to kill Jews, you’re lying … Kurdistan, Turkistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Arab, you are all antisemitic, we will kill you all.” The PKK claimed that Israeli interrogators had invited Turkish interrogators to abuse the PKK prisoners.[6]

After the move to Qandil, the PKK became more focused on the Kurdish-Turkish conflict against Turkey and the Kurdistan Region–PKK conflict against the KDP-dominated Kurdistan Region. Israel later confirmed their support for the KRG and a Kurdish state, but also confirmed their opposition to the PKK.[19][20]

Abdullah Öcalan later began traversing various countries, and on 15 February 1999, he was captured in Kenya on his way to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after coming back from the Greek embassy. His arrest was done by the MİT and CIA, and allegedly with help from Mossad.[21] The CIA reportedly transferred him to the MIT, who flew him to Turkey for arrest and trial.[22][23] Duran Kalkan accused the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel of working together to capture Öcalan.[24]

After his arrest, the Government of Greece entered a period of crisis, and witnessed Theodoros Pangalos, Alekos Papadopoulos, and Philipos Petsalnikos resign from their posts.[25] It was also alleged that Kenyans had warned Pangalos about the arrest four days before it happened, although Pangalos assured them that Öcalan was safe.[26]

Öcalan's arrest led to havoc across the Kurdish community and diaspora, in which they held protests in front of Greek and Israeli embassies worldwide condemning his capture. A group of PKK-supporting Kurds attempted to attack the Israeli consulate in Berlin as revenge. Israeli guards killed 3 of the Kurds and injured 16 of them. Kurds in Germany were threatened with deportation by German authorities if they continued the protests.[27][28] It was this attack which prompted Israel to increase security on all of its embassies and consulates.[29]

Israeli political Avigdor Lieberman allegedly recommended that Israel could establish relations with the PKK and arm them and fund them. The PKK rejected it and reiterated its opposition to Israel. The PKK's new leader, Murat Karayılan, also demanded that Israel apologise for their alleged involvement in the capture of Abdullah Öcalan.[30]

In 2017, Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel rejects the PKK and considers it a terrorist organization, and called on Turkey to return the favor by considering Hamas a terrorist organization.[31] Mustafa Karasu, a PKK leader, condemned the United States recognition of Jerusalem as capital of Israel, and said that Jerusalem cannot be a Jewish city, but should be a city with special status in which all 3 Abrahamic religions are respected.[1] In May 2018, after the United States moved its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, protests happened at the Gaza border, in which Israeli troops killed several Palestinians. The PKK, along with HDP, condemned the killings and called for an end to using violence.[32]

About the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Murat Karayılan stated that he supports whatever ends it, even if it was a two-state solution. He also claimed that democratic confederalism could solve the conflict as well as many conflicts of the entire Middle East.[33] Duran Kalkan stated that he supports democratic confederalism to solve the conflict, not a one-state or two-state solution. He also stated his belief that democratic confederalism is the best option for the entire Middle East.[24]

In late 2022, a settlement was built in Afrin, a city occupied by Turkey, previously under SDF control. The settlement was made to house Palestinians, it included 75 housing complexes to house 220 families, built in the Jindires district. It drew much criticism from Syrian Kurds, especially supporters of the YPG, a group allied with the PKK which is Pro-Palestine.[34] Riyad Al-Malki, the Foreign Minister for the Palestinian National Authority, stated: "we reject the settlement of any Palestinian in Afrin and other Kurdish areas". He also said that the State of Palestine had nothing to do with the settlement, and that they are against anything which abuses Kurds and their land.[35] It was later discovered that an Israeli bank was helping fund the settlement of Palestinians in Afrin.[36][37]

In 2023, Duran Kalkan compared Israel with Turkey. He said,

Three years after World War I, Turkey was established, through which the capitalist imperialist system attempted to dominate the Middle East. Three years after World War II, Israel was established, again under the lead of Britain, and Israel was included in the hegemony war waged in the region.[24]

He then said that Israel and Turkey cooperate “on the basis of a racist, chauvinist and genocidal understanding and policies”. Kalkan denied the Israeli-Turkish political tension by saying “sometimes it looks like there is contradiction and conflict between the Israeli and Turkish states, but this is a game they play to mask the reality and deceive the people.” He stated that Israel plays an active role in the Kurdish–Turkish conflict “because Jewish nationalism considers Kurdistan to be Israeli territory”. He denied that he is antisemitic.[24]

In a reaction to Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's stance on the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Murat Karayılan called Erdoğan a "self-serving figure", and also claimed that Erdoğan would support anyone as long as it benefits him. He stated: "Neither our Arab people nor our Palestinian people should believe him. He is a trader. He plays both sides. When it suits him, he is with Israel, when it suits him, he is with Palestine." Karayılan claimed that Erdoğan's stance is caused by a lack of sincerity, a lack of commitment to Islamic principles, and overall selfishness and opportunism.[38]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 InternationalistCommune (2017-12-17). "Jerusalem, the capital of humanity - INTERNATIONALIST COMMUNE". Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  2. ↑ Ufheil-Somers, Amanda (1982-09-11). "The War in Lebanon". MERIP. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  3. ↑ Grojean, Olivier (2014-07-09). "The Production of the New Man Within the PKK". European Journal of Turkish Studies. Social Sciences on Contemporary Turkey. doi:10.4000/ejts.4925. ISSN 1773-0546.
  4. 1 2 Shahid, Leila (Autumn 2002). "The Sabra and Shatila Massacres: Eye-Witness Reports" (PDF). Journal of Palestine Studies. 32 (1): 36–58. doi:10.1525/jps.2002.32.1.36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2013.
  5. 1 2 "– An ex-ISF V-200 Chaimite employed by the Guardians of the Cedar pictured at Houche-el-Oumara during the Battle for Zahle, April–June 1981". Milinme.wordpress.com. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 Petti, Matthew (2023-04-27). "The Kurds Who Died for Palestine". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  7. ↑ Jonathan Frankel (1984). The Soviet Regime and Anti-Zionism: An Analysis. Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Soviet and East European Research Centre.
  8. ↑ "The New-Old PKK".
  9. ↑ "Democratic Confederalism" (PDF).
  10. ↑ Öcalan, Abdullah. The Sociology of Freedom (PDF). New Compass Press. p. 228.
  11. ↑ "Palestinian Freedom Struggle and Kurdistan – An Interview with Mustafa Karasu". 22 May 2021. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  12. ↑ "Jerusalem, the capital of humanity". 17 December 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  13. ↑ "Shared resistance history: Kurdish-Palestinian struggles in the 1980s – Interview with PKK representative Duran Kalkan (April 11, 2022)". 23 May 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  14. ↑ "PKK's decades of violent struggle - CNN.com". www.cnn.com.
  15. ↑ Casier, Marlies; Jongerden, Joost (2010). Nationalisms and Politics in Turkey: Political Islam, Kemalism and the Kurdish Issue. Routledge. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-136-93867-2
  16. ↑ "– GoC M34 gun-truck with ZU-23-2 AA autocannon, c.1976". Alsminiature.com. Archived from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  17. ↑ Grojean, Olivier (2014-07-09). "The Production of the New Man Within the PKK". European Journal of Turkish Studies. Social Sciences on Contemporary Turkey. doi:10.4000/ejts.4925. ISSN 1773-0546.
  18. ↑ "PKK's decades of violent struggle - CNN.com". www.cnn.com.
  19. ↑ WOODWARD, MICHELLE (2020-08-19). "The Kurdish Movement's Relationship with the Palestinian Struggle". MERIP. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  20. ↑ "Netanyahu rejects claim PKK not terrorists, but supports Kurdish state". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2017-09-13. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  21. ↑ Weiner, Tim (20 February 1999). "U.S. Helped Turkey Find and Capture Kurd Rebel". The New York Times.
  22. ↑ "Öcalan bağımsız devlete engeldi". Vatan (in Turkish). 15 October 2008. Archived from the original on 18 October 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2008. Öcalan yakalandığında ABD, bağımsız bir devlet kurma isteğindeydi. Öcalan, konumu itibariyle, araç olma işlevi bakımından buna engel bir isimdi. ABD bölgede yeni bir Kürt devleti kurabilmek için Öcalan'ı Türkiye'ye teslim etti.
  23. ↑ By TIM WEINERFEB. 20, 1999 (1999-02-20). "U.S. Helped Turkey Find and Capture Kurd Rebel". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2016-12-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. 1 2 3 4 medya, eylul (2023-11-09). "Democratic confederalism best option for Palestinians: PKK's Duran Kalkan". Medya News. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  25. ↑ Murphy, Brian (18 February 1999). "Three Greek Cabinet Ministers Resign Over Ocalan Affair". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  26. ↑ "Ocalan interpreter tells how trap was set". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-08-22.
  27. ↑ "Kurds seize embassies, wage violent protests across Europe", CNN, 17 February 1999
  28. ↑ Yannis Kontos, "Kurd Akar Sehard Azir, 33, sets himself on fire during a demonstration outside the Greek Parliament in Central Athens, Greece, on Monday, 15 February 1999" Archived 19 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Photostory, July 1999
  29. ↑ "Attack on Israeli Consulate in Berlin". mfa.gov.il. 17 February 1999. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
  30. ↑ "After Turkey, PKK Now Also Demanding Apology From Israel". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  31. ↑ "Rebuffing former top general, Netanyahu says Kurdish PKK a terror group". The Times of Israel. 13 September 2017.
  32. ↑ "PKK, HDP express solidarity with Palestinian people". Rudaw. 17 May 2018. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  33. ↑ "Kurdish PKK leader tells 'Post' of 'peaceful struggle' against Turkey". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2020-11-27. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
  34. ↑ publish (2022-09-02). "Turkey builds new Palestinian-funded settlement in Syria's Afrin". North press agency. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  35. ↑ "Palestinian Foreign Minister: We reject the settlement of any Palestinian in Afrin and other Kurdish areas-ARK NEWS". www.arknews.net. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  36. ↑ publish (2023-03-12). "Israel's second largest bank involved in illegal Afrin settlements". North press agency. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  37. ↑ medya, eylul (2023-03-13). "Israeli bank involved in Palestinian-built settlement in Syria's Turkish-controlled Afrin". Medya News. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  38. ↑ medya, eylul (2023-11-03). "PKK's Karayılan advocates for peaceful resolution of conflicts in Middle East". Medya News. Retrieved 2023-12-15.
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