Israel must help its allies the Kurds
Opinion: Jerusalem should be at the head of a worldwide political struggle against Turkey over its invasion of Syria and provide any humanitarian help it can to the Kurds; furthermore, the U.S. abandonment of the Kurdish people should be a lesson in Trump's fickleness
The Kurdish people are a Middle Eastern minority that has endured centuries of persecution. Israel has long seen them as an ally and has provided arms and training to its military organizations.
Now the Kurdish people are under a savage and brutal attack by Turkish dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his armed forces and Israel must stand up for its friends.
The Kurds, allies of the West and the U.S. in their fight against the Islamic State, have been abandoned by the Americans, and are standing alone against this intolerable force.
In Turkey's past, during the Ottoman Empire, is the Armenian genocide - and it's doubtful if Erdogan has any qualms about carrying out similar actions.
When an anti-Semitic dictator who is an enemy of Israel viciously attacks our friends – what are we to do?
Israel must not militarily intervene in Syria. It is not a super power and it is not its job to police the Middle East.
If anything, Israel has since its creation been embroiled in a hard and bloody struggle. Today the greatest threat is Iran, faced on three separate fronts - Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip - as well as terrorism in the West Bank.
As a result, Israel certainly cannot afford to fight a non-defensive war. It has already done so once on behalf of the Lebanese Christians, and that did not end well, to say the least.
But Israel should be at the head of a worldwide political struggle against Turkey and for the Kurds.
Israel should be raising the issue at the United Nations and at every other international institution – and move towards sanctions against Turkey.
Israel's ambassadors all over the world should send a message to their host countries calling upon them to condemn Turkey.
Israel should call for direct action such as severing diplomatic ties with Turkey.
Furthernore, Israel is more than able as a humanitarian country to provide any help it can to the Kurds.
This Turkish invasion in Syria would have not occurred if it were not for the Americans abandoning the Kurds to their own fate.
The U.S. has shown itself to be a weak ally, a fact that should spur Israel to rethink its dependence on it, particularly while Donald Trump occupies the White House.
During his election campaign, Trump voiced two contradictory slogans: "America First" and "Make America Great Again".
"America First" is the traditional mantra of isolationists since the start of the 20th century, although America's greatness was reached at its peak might as a superpower.
The abandonment of the Kurds is the embodiment of "America First", all while Trump continues to insult the Kurdish people, including faulting them for not participating in the Allies' Normandy landings in World War II.
Trump keeps projecting himself as the opposite of his predecessor Barack Obama, but he is merely a continuation of the U.S. policy of turning its back on its allies in the Middle East.
Obama turned away from former Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak and on Israel with his appeasement policy towards Iran and the Iran nuclear deal.
Trump is needlessly leaving the Kurds to their fate all while continuing his appeasement policy towards the Turkish dictator.
Although Trump is a big friend of Israel, a friend that has made unprecedented decisions for Israel's sake, he is fickle and unexpected in his mindset and could turn on it at a moment's notice.
The lesson Israel should take from the Kurds is that it cannot trust anyone but itself and should definitely not compromise on any part of its security.
