Joseph Puder - American Thinker
. . ."The ayatollahs are bent on avenging the elimination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force of the IRGC, who was killed in January 2020. Soleimani was the chief architect of Iran’s terror campaign against American forces in Iraq and throughout the Middle East."Iran is determined to expel the U.S. from the region, and its nuclear ambitions certainly have much to do with eventually challenging the U.S. and Israel. Iran is hostile to the KRG, accusing the Erbil Kurdish government of sheltering Iranian-Kurdish freedom fighters and American troops.
. . ."Should the Kurds gain their independence, they would most definitely join the Abraham Accords. In the meantime, Kurds will continue their longstanding ties with Israel, but for now, these ties will remain “covert” because of Kurdish fear of Iran and its loyalist Shiite supporters within the Iraqi government.
"Israel’s hands are tied due to the lack of interest or commitment by the U.S. administration regarding an independent Kurdish state in northern Iraq. The U.S. and its allies regularly emphasize the territorial integrity of the Iraqi state, neglecting to mention that an overwhelming majority of Kurds reject being part of the Iranian-controlled Iraqi state.
"The problem with the U.S. policy in Iraq is that its previous objectives are incommensurate with Iranian goals. The objective of a democratic, prosperous, and unified Iraq, especially one aligned with the U.S., has incentivized Iran not only to increase its influence in Baghdad, but also to diminish and expel the U.S. from Iraq altogether.
"Given the corrupt Iraqi politicians and Shiite sectarianism, the U.S. has for all intents and purposes lost Iraq to the ayatollahs of Iran. It is therefore the right time to support Kurdish independence and leave behind the fallacy of Iraq’s territorial integrity. Iraq was never an organic state, and Baghdad is more than ever the leader of a failing state. Finally, Iran’s aggression against the U.S. must be met with direct military action rather than with words."
As Israel-Hamas war continues, Americans remain supportive of Israel in new poll : NPR However.... "Two-thirds of Americans say the United States should publicly support Israel in the war between Israel and Hamas, according to the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, but there are wide generational and racial divides on the question.
"At this point, more Americans, but not a majority, think Israel's response has been appropriate, though an overwhelming number of respondents are worried the war will spill over into a broader regional conflict.
"Seven in 10 Americans said they are paying close attention to the war. And, even though most agree that the U.S. should publicly support Israel, President Biden — who has voiced strong public support for the Jewish nation — is not benefiting politically." . . .
