Is positive sentiment toward Israel on the rise in Iraq?
After an Iraqi ambassador made seemingly friendly comments about Israel, Iraqi politicians have made it known that Iraq will not stand for normalization.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz expressed his gratitude to Iraqis on Facebook July 24, stating he was thankful for Iraqi participation on the Israeli Foreign Ministry's "Israel in Iraqi Dialect" Facebook page. The message came on the first anniversary of the creation of the page, which gained notoriety last July for its broadcasting that a delegation of unnamed Iraqi journalists had visited Israel.
Meanwhile, in Iraq, the controversy surrounding normalization with Israel is heating up. The Iraqi ambassador to the United States, Farid Yassin, spoke at a Virginia seminar on Iraq's relations with Israel in July. In a video of the seminar released July 6, Yassin said, “There are objective reasons that may require establishing relations between Iraq and Israel, including that there is an important Iraqi community in Israel, who still cherish their Iraqi characteristics and traditions, especially in weddings and other events.”
However, the ambassador said that these reasons are not enough to establish relations with Israel, citing “moral and legal reasons that prevent any ties."
Iraqi parliamentarian Haneen al-Qaddo said July 11 that a group of Iraqi parliamentarians would "demand the replacement of the Iraqi ambassador in Washington if his statements regarding normalization with Israel are proven to be true."
