Three Iraq delegations pay secret visits to Israel: reports
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Israel has recently hosted three delegations of senior Iraqis, according to reports, indicating the groundwork is being laid for normalized relations between the historically hostile nations.
The Iraqi delegations who visited Israel were reportedly made up of 15 senior political and religious figures from both the Sunni and Shiite communities. They did not include representatives from the Kurdistan Region, Hadashot TV reported on Sunday night.
Their visits primarily took in cultural and historical sites, including the official Holocaust memorial. They also met with academics and a number of Israeli officials. It is not clear when the visits took place.
In a social media post, Edy Cohen, an academic at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, published the names of several Iraqis who he claims were part of the delegations.
“Those are the MPs and individuals who were part of the delegations that visited Israel: Sunni representatives: Ahmed al-Jabouri from Nineveh, Ahmed al-Jarba from Nineveh, Abdulrahman al-Louaisi, a former Nineveh MP, Abdulrahim al-Shammari of Nineveh, in addition to Khalid al-Mafraji of the Kirkuk province and Aliya Nasif, a Shiite from Baghdad. We extend hands of peace to them,” he said.
Mafraji's bloc in the Baghdad parliament has denied its leader was part of the delegations.
“As a response to the miserable screeching of the Zionist Cohen, in which he mentioned that a number of MPs or their representatives visited Israel, including one of them being the MP Khalid al-Majfraji, the head of the Iraqi al-Qarrar coalition in the parliament, and the issue being related to al-Mafraji, the Iraqi al-Qarrar coalition emphasizes that this Zionist screeching is nothing but a lie that won’t undercut the honorable patriotic and nationalistic position of al-Mafraji,” read a statement from the coalition published Monday.
Palestine’s “wounds” are close to Mafraji's heart, it said, branding the claims an attempt to damage his patriotic and nationalistic credentials.
“This will do nothing but increase his determination on his principled stance on the Palestinian question and the deprived rights of its nation,” the coalition added.
Hassan Karim al-Kaabi, the first deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, issued a statement calling for “an investigation” to “identify those who went to the occupied territory, particularly if they are lawmakers.”
“To go to the occupied territory is a red line and an extremely sensitive issue for all Muslims,” he said.
Among several other Arab-majority nations, Iraq has long opposed the Jewish state, participating in the wars of 1967 and 1973, and siding with the Palestinians. Iraqi passport holders are not permitted to visit. Close relations with Iran – a key opponent of Israel – has allowed this animosity to continue.
However, public opinion in Iraq has gradually warmed to Israel. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq in particular has long seen Israel as a potential ally, especially after it came out in support of Kurdish independence.
Any thaw in relations between Iraq and Israel would mark a significant swing in the region’s diplomatic geography.
Israel has already shown a keenness to foster cultural ties with Iraq, which was once home to one of the largest Jewish communities outside Israel. Up to 130,000 Jewish Iraqis left the county in the 1950s to live in the fledgling Israeli state, all but ending a long and rich history in Baghdad.
Last updated 9.44 pm
The Iraqi delegations who visited Israel were reportedly made up of 15 senior political and religious figures from both the Sunni and Shiite communities. They did not include representatives from the Kurdistan Region, Hadashot TV reported on Sunday night.
Their visits primarily took in cultural and historical sites, including the official Holocaust memorial. They also met with academics and a number of Israeli officials. It is not clear when the visits took place.
In a social media post, Edy Cohen, an academic at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, published the names of several Iraqis who he claims were part of the delegations.
“Those are the MPs and individuals who were part of the delegations that visited Israel: Sunni representatives: Ahmed al-Jabouri from Nineveh, Ahmed al-Jarba from Nineveh, Abdulrahman al-Louaisi, a former Nineveh MP, Abdulrahim al-Shammari of Nineveh, in addition to Khalid al-Mafraji of the Kirkuk province and Aliya Nasif, a Shiite from Baghdad. We extend hands of peace to them,” he said.
Mafraji's bloc in the Baghdad parliament has denied its leader was part of the delegations.
“As a response to the miserable screeching of the Zionist Cohen, in which he mentioned that a number of MPs or their representatives visited Israel, including one of them being the MP Khalid al-Majfraji, the head of the Iraqi al-Qarrar coalition in the parliament, and the issue being related to al-Mafraji, the Iraqi al-Qarrar coalition emphasizes that this Zionist screeching is nothing but a lie that won’t undercut the honorable patriotic and nationalistic position of al-Mafraji,” read a statement from the coalition published Monday.
Palestine’s “wounds” are close to Mafraji's heart, it said, branding the claims an attempt to damage his patriotic and nationalistic credentials.
“This will do nothing but increase his determination on his principled stance on the Palestinian question and the deprived rights of its nation,” the coalition added.
Hassan Karim al-Kaabi, the first deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament, issued a statement calling for “an investigation” to “identify those who went to the occupied territory, particularly if they are lawmakers.”
“To go to the occupied territory is a red line and an extremely sensitive issue for all Muslims,” he said.
However, public opinion in Iraq has gradually warmed to Israel. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq in particular has long seen Israel as a potential ally, especially after it came out in support of Kurdish independence.
Any thaw in relations between Iraq and Israel would mark a significant swing in the region’s diplomatic geography.
Israel has already shown a keenness to foster cultural ties with Iraq, which was once home to one of the largest Jewish communities outside Israel. Up to 130,000 Jewish Iraqis left the county in the 1950s to live in the fledgling Israeli state, all but ending a long and rich history in Baghdad.
Last updated 9.44 pm