Last updated on: 5/13/2020 | Author: ProCon.org

What Are the Official Positions of Iraq on Israel and the Palestinian Territories?

General Reference (not clearly pro or con)

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Khudayr al-Khuzai, Vice President of Iraq at the time of the quote, during a Sep. 27, 2012 speech at the 13th plenary meeting of United Nations General Assembly’s 67th Session, the transcript of which is available at the United Nations Disarmament Reference Library website, stated:

“Iraq’s unwavering and well-known position does not deviate from the Arab ranks on issues of crucial importance to our Arab nation. We accordingly support the establishment of the State of Palestine in the occupied Palestinian territories, with Jerusalem as its capital, and declare our support for the membership of the State of Palestine in the United Nations. We also declare our unequivocal rejection of the policies of oppression, Judaization and usurpation of land that Israel pursues without regard for international condemnation of its unjust practices, including the use of brutal force. We also reject Israel’s disregard for the repeated international calls to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to place its military arsenal and facilities under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.”

Sep. 27, 2012 -

Khudayr al-Khuzai

Ayad Allawi, MD, Iraqi Interim Prime Minister, in a July 26, 2004 <em>Associated Press </em>article titled “Allawi: No Normalization with Israel,” stated the following:

“Future relations with Israel are determined by two issues: international resolutions and a just and comprehensive peace that has been adopted by Arab leaderships, including the Palestinian leadership. Iraq will not take any unilateral action on a settlement with Israel outside those two frameworks… Any future ties between Iraq and Israel will be determined by the international legitimacy and the Arab-adopted option of fair and comprehensive peace.”

July 26, 2004

[Editor’s Note: Following a handshake between Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak that caused outrage among some members of the Iraqi Parliament at the 23rd Socialist International Congress on July 1, 2008, Talabani stated the following (available at the BBC website):

“[The handshake] was a civilized social act… It does not mean any obligations for the state of Iraq… and will not affect its support for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian Authority and reliance on Arab unity, the Arab initiative and legitimate international resolutions… There is still a wide gap between the respective positions that cannot be overcome unless the Israeli government adopts positions and measures that will clearly emphasize its sheer desire to seize an opportunity to achieve peace.”

July 1, 2008 -

Jalal Talabani