PM muzzles Israeli officials on Kurdish referendum

JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu barred Israeli government comment on Monday's Kurdish independence referendum in Iraq, two officials said, after his Sept. 13 endorsement of Kurdish statehood irked Turkey.

The plebiscite was held despite objections from the United States and Turkey, a regional power whose ties with Israel have long been troubled. The autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has also voiced misgivings about overt Israeli backing.

Asked to comment on the referendum, one Israeli cabinet minister declined, saying: "Bibi (Netanyahu) asked us not to." A second Israeli official confirmed the order, saying the subject was "too sensitive".

Netanyahu's office did not respond to a request for comment.