Jerusalem, Israel (courtesy Pixabay)
After President Trump put his signature on historic agreements normalizing relations between Israel and two Gulf nations, he said five or six other nations could follow suit.
One could be Iraq, if the opinion of one political leader there is a guide.
The Baghdad Post reported Mithal al-Alusi, an Iraqi Sunni politician and leader of the Ummah Party, is calling for normalization of relations between Iraq and Israel.
"Al-Alusi, who is known for his pro-West political views, told al-Shafaq News on Saturday that he supports the UAE and Bahrain for their decision to open a new chapter with Israel and normalize their ties," the Post reported.
"He explained that the conflict between Israel and Palestine has been exploited by some countries for their own interests and not for the good of the people of Palestine," the report said.
Israel365 News explained Iraq technically has been in a state of war with Israel since declaring war on the newly established Jewish state in 1948.
"Iraqi forces participated in wars against Israel in 1967 and 1973. During the Persian Gulf War (1990-91), Iraq fired 42 modified Scud ballistic missiles at Israel, to which Israel did not respond militarily, because of pressure from the U.S. not to retaliate," the report said.
While Iraq is located geographically where Babylonia once was, "it may be inaccurate to consider the modern-day relations with Israel as based on the biblical framework."
Rabbi Ken Spiro, a historian for Aish HaTorah Yeshiva, noted in the Israel365 report: "When considering peace with the Arab world, the Emirates is quite different. The colonial powers got smart and rather than create an artificial country that has no inner cohesiveness based on historic or even religious connection, the UAE was created as a federation of different tribes. This has clearly worked better than the Western paradigm of a national identity that was forced on Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria by the British and French."
He noted that Iraq is one of those countries with a "created national identity."
"Historically, Iraq is geographically what we call Mesopotamia, or Babylonia. But Iraq, as we know it today, is a 20th century creation. Assyrians and Babylonians don't exist anymore."
The report also noted al-Alusi was expelled from the Iraqi National Congress for suggesting that Iraq establish relations with Israel.
He's also been accused of having "contacts with enemy states."
The post Iraqi politician calls for normalization of ties with Israel appeared first on WND.
