There is, however, a big difference in basics: Azza was Israeli until Arabs took it. Just get acknowledged with history and see how Jewish communities flourished there throughout Middle Ages, no mention about Arab communities. Evidently so, because, it was since always Israeli soil. Meanwhile, Turks are usurpers - as well as the Arabs - who conquered since times immemorial Kurdish lands and the fight still is going on. This means: Kurds are freedom fighters. The same goes with Kurds in Syria, Iraq, Iran.

Fighting for their ancient homeland. But I denounce attacks on civilians! Northern Iraq - Kurdistan - should declare themselves independent!

That's what I meant to write!

America screwed itself.

Right said Ron. Good observation. PKK is a terrorist organization comprised of Turks, Kurds, Syrians and bunch of other soldiers of fortune. Hopefully soon the end of PKK like every other terrorist organization is coming. Peace.

the first ,kurds issue is nation problem,second,kurdistan workers party pkk is not a terrorist organization.they are fighting for freedom,all world seen turkish crimes in kurdistan but no one wants to see it,,

How can you write an article without the basic knowledge of the topic? PKK may have started as an extreme political movement but this was only in reaction to a fascist regime. Yes 3rd Riche was not the only mass murdering thugs. Turks did it to Armenians 100 years ago & now the Kurds. Kurdistan was/is the only ‘country in the region where Jews were not persecuted, a true friend of Israel which has earned them a lot of Arab enemies as result. As a Jew you must be ashamed to defend their enemy & liken them to Iranian puppets of Hamas.

Unlike the Palestinians, the Kurds of Turkey are strong supporters of both the USA and Israel. For this reason alone, we should be more apt to support a people who would gladly align themselves with the Western World during these trying times. Kurdistan is also the safest, richest place in Iraq which should provide us with some insight into the life these people would choose if given their freedom. Instead of teaching their children to become suicide bombers, the Kurds emphasize a western style education in health, business, and the arts. See the latest copy of Azure magazine for more in depth coverage of the Kurds vis a vis the Palestinians.

Unlike the so-called "Palestinians", the Kurds are a true nationality and ethnic group which has a right to its own state. Turkey has perpetrated genocide against the Kurds just as it perpetrated genocide against the Armenians. (I guess this is a good reason why Turkey belongs in the EU, Europe being the continent of genocide par excellence.) Support the Kurds in their fight for a national homeland!

Kurds are our brother, They are our Prime Ministres, our Presidents, our head of general staff of army, .. Why Cencurd my posting Breached your policy of hatemonger? Should I say negative things about my brother kurds to get approval from you? Alpaslan Turkes who was called Turkish Fuhrer (Basbugh) and organized armed nationalist groups which was Called FASIST by many people just pronounced this: I AM A KURDISH AS MUCH AS TURKİSH and ANY KURD IS TURKISH AS MUCH AS ME, that is even our "Fuhrer" honoured and did not allow discirimination of our TRIBES by their so called FASCISTS! We are a nation. Now get this fact an PUT YOURSELF IN CORRECT SPECTURM if your hearts bear up!

and every action taken by Israel to defend itself, while Israel does digital remastery of Turkey's image.

Unlike the palestinians who only deserve a kick in the ass. #1 is right - the Kurds are the only good guys in the neighborhood.

Look, we all like the kurds, but nobody can expect turkey to do nothing about PKK attacks over it's border. The kurdish regions of turkey are TURKISH, and theres no changing that. No country in the world would sit around and do nothing. Kurds should take what they can get in Iraq and forget about territorial concessions on turkey's part. They need to put a stop to cross border raids if they want a stable country. PKK was into school murders for a while people, and they have as recently as last year made threats to turkish politicians not to run in elections. No democracy in the world can allow itself to be manipulated like that. don't let your concern for the kurdish people obscure logic and reason here...

The Kuds are trying to free themselves and form their own counry. They have been oppressed in Turkey, not even permitted to speak their own language and practice their ways. This is the same Turkey that massacred Armenians in 1915. The main problem is with PKK, and there needs to be cooperation with the Kurdistan authorities to try to stamp out this organization, which doesn't act in the interests of the nascent Kurdish nation. PKK are terrorist and need to be dealt with accordingly. I don't trust Turkey to deal with them, as widespread human rights violations would occur under them. Kurdistan should take in all 12-15 million Turkish Kurds and begin with the process of building the new country. If Kosovo declares independence unilaterally, so should Kurds. There's no reason why not to. Turkey is NOT a member of EU, and doesn't deserve it. Until they can account for the Armenian genocide and apologize and compensate for it, they don't even deserve a hearing on the matter. It still is a country with a questionable human rights record, especially with regards to its military. What makes you think they've changed any? Kurdistan, deserves EU membership much more than Turkey . They would quickly become developed, and would have widespread international support. Israel would benefit by having another friend in the region.

The Palestinians cannot be compared to the Kurds in terms of their struggle. Palestinians themselves consider their identity part of a greater Arab people. But they are fighting for an idependence at the expense of an entire state's existence. Even the most extreme Kurds in Turkey (PKK terrorists) just want a modest part of Turkey ,an area they feel was wrongfully seized by Ataturk's armies in the early 1920s in the consolidation of the Turkish Republic and forcibly Turkified, while acknowledging Turkey's right to exist in over 80% of its current borders. Israel in its past occupation of Gaza never tried to Judaize the Gazan Arabs, never prevented them from speaking Arabic, practicing Islam or Christianity, or asserting a non-Jewish identity. Turkey on the other hand for several decades tried to erase all traces of Kurdish nationhood and identity, denying them the right to speak Kurdish and celebrate Kurdish festivals (Nowruz) or associate with their brethren in seven other regional states. Instead, Turkey said they were simply "Mountain Turks" and attempted to Turkify them. Even in the mid 1990s, Parliamentarian Leyla Zena was imprisoned for finishing her Turkish speech with a Kurdish sentence, where she talked about Kurds and Turks mutually coexisting in Turkey (she also wore a headband with supposedly "Kurdish colors") PKK employs terrorism but its ultimate objectives of autonomy or independence, shared by the vast majority of Kurds in Kurdistan and in the Diaspora, is a legitimate cause.

Dear author, Please do some more research about the subject next time you write something about the Kurdish struggle. Comparing it to Hamas or Islamic Jihad is simply insulting. I am glad to see that the majority of the commenters disagree though. I have a lot of Israeli friends who support the Kurdish struggle. if it weren't for Israelis I think the Kurds wouldn't have any real allies left. (I can't call the US an ally yet, because they have done us more harm then good so far).

Israel wants to shed itself of Gaza Turkey wants to beat the PKK into submission and keep Kurdistan inside Turkey

The only way Israel will get along in peace with its neighbors is if they are Kurdish. Too bad Kurds are fighting for their land which is valuable oil property and would never accept an agreement. I think we'd see the real middle-eastern problem if the Palestinians were shifted in between Turkey and Iraq because they'd still be killing each other. Kurds are the only friends of non-Muslims in the Middle east besides Israel. The kurds have suffered almost as much as the Jewish people have and are just as hated by Arabs. They deserve better!

Your comparasin is far off. Turkey may be fighting terrorists who want to gain control of land and form a government, but those Kurds have no right to take Turkish soil. This land was Turkey's for hundreds of years. But if you look at the case of Israel and the Palestinians, the terrorists aren't trying to gain control over land that is not their's. That land is rightfully their's! Israel stole it from them after the Holocaust. When the British left Palestine, the Jews took over the land. But the land belongs to the Arabs. It should belong to the Palestinians. You cannot go around saying "Oh look since Turkey is doing it, it justifies our actions too!" Turkey is doing something remotely different than the Israelies and we all know it. Do not try to fool the open-minded.

It was the Ottoman Turks who saved the Jews from Spain and Portugal during the Spanish Inquisition. Turkey sent ships and brought the Jews to Turkey and provided them safe haven and religious freedom for hundreds of years. And to this day Turkey is the only muslim ally they have in the world. As far as the Kurds, when did they ever have a country? Turkey did not steal any land from them. Turkey has been at those lands for over 1000 years. It wasn't the Turks that massacred the Armenians it was the Kurds. They wanted to establish a homeland on the same territory the Armenians were trying to. Go to the library and read articles from the NY Times, Washington Post and other newspapers from 100 years ago and you will see this is the truth. Lastly regarding Kurds in Turkey being mistreated. It is a big lie. The Turks don't discriminate against the Kurds and they never have. The Turkish policy has always been one of equality. Everyone who lives within the borders of Turkey are equal with the very same rights. In fact there have been past Prime Ministers and Presidents of Turkey who were ethnic Kurds. How can you claim Kurds are being discriminated and mistreated why they are able to reach the highest positions in every segment of society? The problem is not a Kurdish problem. Most of the 15 million Kurds in Turkey are happy. It is the PKK which is a terrorist organization as recognized by the USA, EU, The UN and virtually every country in the world. Their objective is not equal treatment which is already the case. Their objective is to carve up Turkey and establish a separate state. They are so misguided in their aim. They obviously do have not learned anything about the Turk. The Turk will NEVER give up land. It is sacred.

The Turks are closer to Jews than PKK. Turkey is an occupier just like Israel. You either didnt get your facts right, or you are a liar. Ocalan was handed over from Cyprus to Greece to Turkey. Your buddies at "Turk Intel" had nothing to do with his "capture".

Recall the Ottoman empire, not long ago just 90 years ago all of these lands belonged to the Ottoman Empire and everybody was living in peace... Israilis want a Kurdish state not because they like Kurds because they want one more state beside them in the region.

@ Ryan Sullivan: The Kurds lived on that land for thousands of years before the Turks, Arabs and Persians took it away. Turkey didn't even exist 100 years ago and the area they're fighting over was still officially called Kurdistan back then (although it wasn't an independent state). It were the Turks who named that region Kurdistan in the first place by the way (The Seljuks to be more specific) and now that word is forbidden in Turkey.

I find your analogy quit illogical. You are comparing apple and oranges. The Kurds are not targeting civilian exclusively and they don't have any right that your palasinian friends have.....

90 years ago the Ottomans were committing Genocide

"Recognition of the existence of a Kurdish land goes back even as far as Sumerian Cuneiform Tablets, dating from about 3000 BC, which speak of the land of the Kurds. Much of Kurdistan corresponds roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Gutium (Qurti), which is mentioned in cuneiform records about 2400 BC, and had its capital at Arraphkha (modern Kirkuk)" That was easy to find.

Here in gaza we can make an Islamic Holly war and all Muslims can support this war including "TURKEY"