Surrounded by often hostile neighbours, some of whom don't recognise Israel as an independent state, Tel Aviv has always looked for partnerships in a region known for its instability.
Kurds, an ethnic group of up to 35 million people dispersed between Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran have always been known for their warm attitude towards the Jewish state, despite them being Muslims residing in countries that have no diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv.
Same Destiny, Common Challenges
Ako Shwani, a professor of history at Sulaymaniyah University in northern Iraq, says Kurdish support is understandable given the similarities between the two ethnic groups.
"Both Jews and the Kurds have faced the danger of obliteration and both had a dream of an independent state. The only difference is that Israel managed to turn that dream into a reality in 1948".
The Kurds, however, did not. In spite of being the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East, they have never had a state, and their drive for autonomy within Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey has led to clashes with government forces, often resulting in the subsequent persecution of the Kurdish people.
It is that feeling of oppression and somewhat common destiny of persecution that bolstered the two groups' sense of solidarity towards one another, believes the expert.
These ties have grown even stronger due to the common challenges faced by Israel and the Kurds, one of which has been Turkey.
Since US President Donald Trump's decision last year to pull out of northern Syria, home to more than one and a half million Kurds, Kurdish tensions with Turkey have escalated. Using the American withdrawal, Ankara launched an offensive on the Kurdish forces positioned in the area claiming it was determined to curb the spread of terror emanating from their territories.
However, some experts speculated that the reason behind the operation was to make sure the Kurds didn't establish a territorial claim to an area considered strategically important for Turkey, thus paving the way for the establishment of an independent state.
Israel to the Rescue?
Israel, whose own relations with Ankara have long been problematic, was watching these developments with great concern.
Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not offer the Kurds any military assistance against Ankara fearing possible repercussions, he did say Tel Aviv was ready to extend humanitarian assistance to the "gallant Kurds".
And it did. Shortly after the PM made his remarks, the then deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely confirmed Israel was assisting the Kurds of Syria "through a range of channels". The idea was not only to curb the rising challenge of Turkey but also to block the spread of Iran, Tel Aviv's bitter enemy.
"The possible collapse of the Kurdish hold in northern Syria is a negative and dangerous scenario as far as Israel is concerned. It is absolutely clear that such an event would bring about a bolstering of negative elements in the area, headed by Iran", Hotovely said in a statement.
Allegedly, Israel did not supply the Kurds with any military assistance but history shows that such deals, if they do take place, are mostly carried out well below the radar.
Such was the case in the 1960s when Israel started to channel large scale military aid to the Kurds via Iran, which was still controlled by the pro-Western Shah, to contain the threat posed by the then head of Iraq, Saddam Hussein.
In 1965, Israel even established several training camps in the Kurdish mountains with the idea to train local soldiers, and in 1967 the leader of Iraqi Kurds Mulla Mustafa visited the Jewish state sealing an agreement with Tel Aviv who vowed to supply his military with $50,000 worth of military assitance annually.
That, however, was still not enough for the Kurds to openly express their support for the Jewish state and Shwani puts this down to the constant fear of the Kurds being portrayed as "traitors" who chose Israel over their Arab neighbours.
"Despite being the element that connects us with the Arabs, Islam has a tendency to depict Israel in a negative light", said the expert suggesting it was a factor that played an important role in turning the Kurdish masses against Israel.
The Kurdish elite, however, was not taken in by the general mood. "They have always been trying to establish a friendly relationship with the Jewish state, especially given the fact that it was Israel that supported them in their fight against Daesh* as well as other terror groups of the region; and I am certain that there will be an array of opportunities to bolster these relations in the near future", he summed up.
*Daesh, also known as ISIS/IS/Islamic State, is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.
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