Israel’s intention to help them Kurds to gain political independence, the new Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Shaar said in his official speech during last night’s handover ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Jerusalem.

Helping hand from Tel Aviv

“The Kurdish people are the largest people in the region that have not gained political independence,” said Guidon Saar, clarifying that although “in Syria it has gained de facto autonomy” and in Iraq, its autonomy status in the northern part of the country is recognized by the Iraqi Constitution, on the other hand, is “withstanding oppression and aggression from Iran and Turkey”. Describing the Kurdish people as Israel’s “natural ally”, the new head of Israeli diplomacy concluded that “Israel must extend a helping hand”.

Gidon Shaar also emphasized the need to strengthen Israel’s relations with the Druze community living in southern Syria and Lebanon, citing as an example the full integration of Israel’s Druze into local society, public administration and Israeli security forces.

A new regional policy

The emphasis he gave during his speech last night Guidon Saarpossibly foreshadowing a new trend that is set to shape Israeli regional policy for the foreseeable future – even as the war continues. Saar made sure to also lay out the rationale for the goals he seems to have set as the goal of his tenure, saying the following: “Israel must realize that it will always be a minority in the Middle East region. Therefore, his “natural allies” are the rest of the national minorities in the region, with whom he must strengthen his relations.”

It remains to be seen how the new Israeli Foreign Minister will implement his intentions. At the same time, however, and with equally great interest, the reactions of the neighboring states are awaited, when they begin to realize that Israel seems not to hesitate to take advantage of outstanding minority demands, which could, under appropriate conditions and circumstances, even lead to further rearrangement of the already disturbed regional balances.