Israel ready to assist Syrian Kurds
Israel strongly condemns the Turkish invasion of the Kurdish areas in Syria and warns against the ethnic cleansing of the Kurds by Turkey and its proxies, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Facebook post.
“Israel is ready to provide humanitarian assistance to the courageous Kurdish people,” he wrote.
The EU has also condemned the Turkish army’s operation to purge the Syrian regions bordering on Turkey of Kurdish militia, which Ankara considers terrorist groups.
In response, Turkish President Recep Erdogan threatened to stop halting the flow of refugees from the Middle East and Africa into European countries, something Turkey committed to do in 2016 as part of an EU summit in Brussels.
In exchange for blocking the so-called “Balkan Route”, Turkey received an additional €3 billion in financial assistance and a series of economic concessions from the EU.
Speaking on national TV on Thursday, Erdogan openly threatened the EU with a new migration crisis.
“Hey, EU, pull yourself together! I say it again. If you try to label this operation as an invasion, it’s very simple: we will open the gates and send 3.6 million refugees your way,” the Turkish president warned.
The day before, Turkey officially began “Operation Peace Spring” in northern Syria, eliciting outrage from its neighbors and the EU. At the EU’s request, the UN Security Council will be holding an emergency session related to Turkey’s offensive in Syria.