We are a group of students, journalists, and activists from various Arab states who are concerned for and supportive of Kurdish human rights as well as the conservation of Kurdish history and culture. Due to injustices faced throughout the Middle East, many Kurds have found a home in neighboring Arab countries, where most Kurdish communities are entirely isolated. We are using this campaign in order to draw attention to not just their plight, but also to raise understanding of the Kurdish culture and allow them to be outspoken members of our communities.

The Alliance for Kurdish Rights is a project of the activists at Mideast Youth, and today I chatted with its Director, Esra’a Al Shafei, about this new venture.

The official launch of this Arab Association for Kurdish rights is today?

We launched it on Twitter last night, but the mailing list went out today. The response so far from the Kurdish community has been amazing.

A few years ago, the Alliance for Kurdish Rights had a petition supporting Kurdish rights, how is this new initiative different?

That petition was a specific one to unblock three websites, and it came from Middle Easterners in general as opposed to Kurds, but also Turks and Iranians. The three websites were prominent Kurdish news sites that people needed to stay in touch with their communities and with current Kurdish events that are never covered in local papers. To block them was a tragedy for many. Through that, we met a lot of Kurdish students and activists who really felt the need to join in and create something better. The Alliance for Kurdish Rights was launched a few years ago, but was hacked and we lost all data. If you remember, a Turkish flag replaced the index page and we couldn't recover the content. We started from scratch and relaunched late last summer. The participants were mainly Kurds. I got together a group of Arabs and said ‘we gotta help them out' but in a way that officially recognizes the effort…..so Kurds can realize that there are Arabs who believe in their rights.

You've said that the Kurdish response has been positive. Have they been posting their responses on the web? How has their support manifested itself?

Mostly via email. We have a lot of Kurds on our newsletter and they were replying to the email sent saying how this was the first time they have seen Arabs openly supporting Kurds in this manner. There was also this comment: “This initiative step should be appreciated. I, as a Kurd from Iraq, welcome warmly this huge step toward the recognizing the Kurdish rights and remove the decades long of suppression and assimilation. This will also improve bilaterial relations between Kurds and Arabs, and also with other communities. Good job. In Kurdish, destan xosh.”

Turkish hackers have been notorious for destroying Kurdish sites, I would expect that this new site would again make you a target. Are you prepared for another attack?

Yes we are prepared, we have daily backups and are servers are much stronger than before. We are now on a dedicated server and monitor our logs for each error or suspicious attempts for an attack. I mean, it won't be easy, of course there is no doubt that hackers tend to outsmart you pretty fast. In 2007, each time we relaunched again, the hacking would continue- literally within hours or one day. We had no one to help us handle it. We don't remember what was said in Turkish, but Turkish friends said the statements weren't kind, obviously. It wasn't the average nationalist statement, like “long live Turkey”, but things likening Kurds to animals who must be “sprayed to death.” This was two years ago but these brutal statements made us more determined to continue the efforts.

We are working now on a video page of Kurdish content, our own Kurdish video service to archive Kurdish videos, historical, cultural and otherwise. I always felt a responsibility to speak up for Kurds as an Arab. I was appalled at the lack of attention and sympathy they generated within the Arab world. I mean you are talking about a minority that suffered through genocide, severe discrimination, execution, humiliation, refusal to legal or ethnic recognition….

I met a lot of Kurds in the past who kept asking “where are the Arab voices on our behalf”? I had no answer, until now. So really, what I hope to offer is a really strong voice: an Arab one in favor of Kurdish human rights, one that can change the current relationship (or lack thereof!) between Kurds and Arabs. I know this is already happening. The responses from Kurds from Syria or Iraq saying things like, “I have new-found respect and appreciation for Arabs, even if not all of them were responsible for our suffering.” There were racist tensions between Kurds and Arabs in the past. We are answering some crucial questions.

Have you had much Arab feedback? And are the Arabs that have responded living in the Middle East or in the diaspora?

In the Middle East, mostly Iraq. We have a few members already from Iraq; two of the articles were written by Iraqis.

How has this dialogue been carried out between these groups?

We have gathered members from 16 countries so far to serve as sorts of “spokespeople.” Their responsibilities include getting this message across to the Kurdish communities in their own countries. It was hard for many to reject because they are aware of the history. How can you justify genocide and hundreds of thousands people dying tragic deaths for decades on end? All the Arabs I know felt a deep sense of responsibility to speak up. This was their wake up call.

So you are encouraging the ones joining this to go out into their local communities to speak up?

Definitely. I want them to find the Kurdish communities. And as Arabs I want them to lift a hand, express interest in who they are, in their work, recognize their ethnicity, and express their willingness to coexist.

This is definitely a first but a major first step. In a perfect world how would you like to see this project expand?

Well I am a big fan of interactive and dynamic media. I want to see programs by Arabs that discuss Kurdish issues, and then joined up by their Kurdish friends, hence us giving away Flip cameras to make this possible. But we also want to note that Kurds don't only exist in the areas where most originate, many have moved to neighboring countries where they are equally ignored and sometimes discriminated against.

What would you say about this project to those that aren't Arab or Kurdish?

I'd tell them that there are things that frankly only we can solve as members from the region. If a Kurd was abused in an Arab country, or in the name of Arabs (forced to convert his/her ethnicity), whose responsibility is it to stand up for this injustice? Ours, no one else's.

A Hero's Welcome
Many Turkish bloggers posted photos of Turkish citizens celebrating the reaction of Prime Minister Erdogan at the Davos Forum, and crowds of people went to the airport to herald the his return. Erkan's Field Diary notes the euphoria best:

As of tonight, Erdoğan becomes a political legend….
Whatever the diplomatic consequences of Erdoğan's reaction (or whether it is right or wrong) in the Davos panel, he becomes a legend for masses.
Thousands are driving to Atatürk Airport to welcome PM Erdoğan's arrival at the moment…. Now I hear that subway services are extended to 3 am so that people can go to airport…
Apart from hard core anti-AKP citizens, and retired diplomats whose minds belong to Cold War era, who immediately reacted negatively, we try to understand the situation.
* at one level, it is a matter of pride. Turkey's PM stood against disrespect.

Foreign/Domestic Policy Implications
The Republic of Turkey has always had good relations with Israel, and still does even after the diplomatic outburst, but the situation has lead many to wonder whether this means a major divergence from former foreign policy positions, and what this means for domestic policy. The White Path weighs in:

The last time I saw such a tense public sentiment was the early 1990s, when Bosnians were subjected to “ethnic cleansing” by Serbian nationalists. The situation in Gaza was more complex, to be sure, but it was perceived in Turkey as something similar to the slaughter of Muslims in the Balkans.
Therefore, it wasn't a surprise to see the Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan say harsh words against Israel. He was just mirroring the public sentiment. And this was more than populism, as some could ascribe to a politician who is on the eve of local elections. Mr. Erdoğan was sincere in his feelings. When he visited a group of wounded Palestinians that were brought to an Ankara hospital, people noticed tears in his eyes.
….
But while strong emotions are worthy of respect, diplomacy more so needs nuance and deliberation. And those are not the highest qualities of Mr. Erdoğan. He is rather known to be a man who minces no words and, as he put himself, who thinks “anger is a rhetorical art.” So, as he has done many times before on many other issues, including domestic ones, he sounded unbalanced — and even pro-Hamas. As Sedat Ergin, the editor-in-chief of daily Milliyet, put it in these pages yesterday, his whole Gaza rhetoric was “problematic.”

Talk Turkey, while encouraging others to watch the proceedings to see the whole context of the argument leading to the walkout, did point out how comments made by the Prime Minister of Turkey in response to the current war in Gaza show some hypocrisy in Turkey's current policies:

But the real issue was the criticism of Israel's killing of children recently. Israel, on the other hand, claims that if terrorists are targeting you on a daily basis, it leaves you with no choice but to hit back.

Isn't Turkey being hypocritical as it fights its own war on terror with the PKK, the militant faction of the Kurdish independence movement?

Then again, there's a big difference when it comes to indifference of killing innocent civilians versus killing innocent civilians who happen to be children.

Narrator discusses the silver lining for Turkey in this diplomatic situation:

The only silver lining regarding what happened in Davos last week is that President Obama may now start seriously considering Turkey as the country that he will pick to make a major speech addressing the Islamic world. The reason is simple. After the drama in Davos, Turkey has won the hearts and minds of 1.3 billion Muslims. Erdoğan's behavior made him an instant global hero in the eyes of all Muslims, who were bitterly frustrated with the Israeli onslaught against Gaza that ended up killing 1,300 people, half of them innocent civilians. As of last week, the Palestinian cause and Turkey became one — and all of this is thanks to the larger than life personality of Prime Minister Erdoğan. Whether the pro-Israel lobby likes it or not, President Obama is sophisticated enough to recognize these dynamics in selecting the country where he will make his speech to the Islamic world.

Bad Behavior
While many Turks celebrated the Prime Minister's actions, others condemned him for what they saw as bad behavior. From Internations Musings:

Turkish PM Erdogan doesn’t like critical journalists. People know that in Turkey and some European countries - especially after Erdogan’s bargaining and blackmailing last week in Brussels regarding the EU accession talks. But yesterday, while talking at a forum in Davos, people around the world could observe a statesman who lost his temper again when he left the stage, full of anger, after he was denied more time to speak about the crisis in Gaza. The moderator was David Ignatius of the Washington Post. Witty, smart and provocative. And he, Erdogan, has to deal with that. Nit-picking journalists are everywhere. How does he think to survive when Turkey joins the EU? There is nothing wrong with showing your emotions but there is definitely something wrong with insulting countries and presidents of countries that are supporting you. And of course he showed the same old rhetoric all over again: ‘they didn’t show respect for me’ and ‘I defend Turkish honour’…in my opinion you don't defend your honour by putting someone else down.

Carpetblogger comments on how the Prime Minister's behavior was a disservice to Turkey and the role that it could have had in negotiating peace in the Middle East:

A Turk gesturing on behalf of oppressed Palestinians is about as politically courageous as an American advocating for a “democratic transition” in Belarus: There's absolutely nothing at stake and everyone gets to feel good about themselves. Turkey has no aggrieved Palestinians occupying valuable political real estate. There's no chance of instability on its borders. And, it has a population (definitely not a tribe) that needs no excuse to wave flags and express outrage at perceived slights. We don't see any downsides to Erdoğan's outburst except, oh, perhaps a missed opportunity for Turkey to serve as a levelheaded mediator in the conflict, something that could actually help the Palestinians! Maalasef.

Did Prime Minister Erdogan react in a way that will benefit Turkey and its role in the Middle East? It is a good question, and one that might be answered in the next few months, or it just might be a situation that becomes an interesting anecdote in the annals of diplomatic disagreements.

More on Global Voices Online:

Egypt: Erdoğan, Leader of the World

Depuis [la rupture de la trêve], ce sont plusieurs centaines de missiles qui sont tombés sur des villes israéliennes (on parle ici de cibles civiles) au cours des derniers jours. Des missiles plus sophistiqués qu'il y a 6 mois ont même été lancées sur des villes qu'ils n'avaient pas la possibilité de toucher avant. Oui, vous avez bien lu….des centaines de roquettes Qassam ont été tirées sur de VRAIES VILLES qui ne font même pas partie des territoires soi disant “disputés” par les Palestiniens modérés.

Jewlicious elaborates on this idea:

Aron Heller of Associated Press for Yahoo News (Dec. 25) writes this past week that the massive barrage of Palestinian rockets slamming into Israel during Hanukkah, “caused no injuries but generated widespread panic.” The headline for his article–”Israel warns Hamas will pay heavy price,” simply implies that Israel plans to act because of widespread panic.

Heller makes no mention of the Israeli homes destroyed by the Palestinian rockets, the 60 plus Israelis who were hospitalized for shock and trauma, including 12 Ashkelon children, or the thousands of dollars in damages that the Palestinian rockets caused to Israeli properties and businesses.

The international media ignores far too often another critical player in the Arab-Israeli conflict and its role in continuing the conflict. Hamas, the ruling party who took over Gaza in 2006, is a terrorist organization that was established in 1987, an offshoot of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

Hamas has led a brilliant public relations campaign that has consistently de-legitimized the actions of Israel, as we find in the media coverage of the conflict, while simultaneously legitimizing its own regime in Gaza.

What the international media and world community often fail to see is that Hamas has its own interests in mind - whether it be the starvation of its people or the launching of rockets at Israeli civilians. In other words, the critical role that the ruling regime of Gaza, known as Hamas, has played in contributing to the continuation of the conflict, has been too often overlooked.

Chayyei Sarah has a similar opinion as most Israeli bloggers:

My feelings about what happened in Gaza yesterday: I feel very sad that it had to be that way. But it had to be that way. We can't let rockets rain down on our citizens and do nothing. I look forward to the day — may I live to see it — when the Palestinian leadership figures out what “compromise” and “good leadership” and “promises” and “tolerance” actually mean. I'd really like for our army to have nothing to do. That would be fantastic.

Here is another impression from blogger Tzipiyah:

Over the weekend, Israel has started an operation in the Gaza strip. However, even after those years of attacks which make this response more than justified, there is a sense of shock at the numbers coming out of Gaza. Over 280 dead. Wow! 280 human beings were killed. For people who hate death, this is, honestly, a horrible tragedy. So, how are we to react to that?

In today’s world, there is an underlying pressure for Jews, and Zionists, to put their heads down in shame after seeing these numbers. Yes, even the strong Zionists are afraid to switch their facebook status in support of the Gaza operation. Yes, even the strong Zionists are afraid to scream their support for the State of Israel in such a time of bloodshed and conflict.

The Torah does tell us that we cannot, we are forbidden, to rejoice in our enemies’ suffering. So, we should not rejoice in their death. However, let’s make no mistake: I am not, in the slightest way, ashamed of the State of Israel. I am proud of the State of Israel for finally standing up and defending it’s citizens.

Not all bloggers whole-heartedly support these actions, some have reservations, such as Yoni the Blogger:

I am against the up coming ground action in Gaza.

I am against this action for several reasons, first as late as the end of last week, Israel was feeding the terrorist of Gaza. Second the politicians have not stated what the goal of the operation is, so how will Israel know if the operation is a success or failure.

I would support a ground action in Gaza under the following conditions, first cut Gaza off 100% from the outside world for up to two months. This means no food, water, industrial supplies or even medicine into Gaza.

J Street condemned the actions, but was criticized by Meryl Yourish for closing their comments saying:

What are they afraid of?
Will they discover that the pro-Israel bloggers outnumber the anti-Israel bloggers, and that J Street speaks not for the “silent majority,” but for a tiny minority of Jews?
Probably.

More reactions from the Israeli blogosphere are still coming in as the conflict continues. Israellycool is liveblogging events as they happen, and of course check Global Voices' own special coverage page for updates.

Israelity comments on the timing and the build up to the conflict:

Most folks, in the week between Christmas and New Years, chill out in Puerto Rico, visit family on the coast, or go skiing in Aspen. We Israelis go to war.

Operation Cast Lead (reminder to the IDF Spokesman: work on those titles) is no laughing matter. Borne out of no alternative to constant rocket attacks on its southern communities, the military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries - and so far, more rockets landing in Ashkelon, Sderot, Netivot and even Ashdod, some 25 miles away from Gaza.

I got an inkling that the operation was impending when my daughter came home from her police shift on Thursday and said she had been briefed about mobilizing in the South when the army attack began in order to keep calm in the communities where retaliation from Hamas was likely.

On Saturday night, however, she was still patrolling her usual areas around Jerusalem. Evidently, the response to Operation Cast Lead among the Palestinian population in the West Bank and around east Jerusalem was serious enough to keep police troops very busy.

“There’s all kinds of riots going on here,” she said on the phone around midnight, “so they can’t send us to the South.”

West Bank Mama notes the call up of Israeli soldiers:

IDF radio has announced that reserve soldiers are being called up now, what is known in Israel as Tzav Shmoneh. Already the yishuv email is starting with requests for those traveling to various places to bring “care packages” to soldiers. Not only do we have yishuv members being called up, but many have sons in the “regular” army.

The mothering instinct is kicking in everywhere.

I have just heard on the radio that families in the north, who unfortunately had to be evacuated from their homes during the second Lebanon war, are now giving out invitations to those in the south to come up to them to get away from the rockets.

And Aliyah! talks about the build up to the conflict:

So far, it has been handled just right. They waited and let those rockets fall while not doing a thing in retaliation. We sat by as more than 300 rockets and mortars landed among civilians in just 3 days, adding to those that fell in the days before and the more than 3,000 that had been launched at those civilian communities this year alone. The rockets fell on us as we treated in our hospitals Palestinians who were hit by Hamas rockets that mis-fired and fell among their own people. The rockets fell on us as convoys of aid, fuel, medical supplies and food made their way across our border and into Gaza.

Because we waited, two important things were won. First, justification for a much larger blow against the terrorists than simply going after a rocket-launcher here and one there. The latter strategy is not only ineffective but gives the international community a chance to spin the situation as a tit for tat equal responsibility for the situation. Clearly, when the attacks are coming consistently only from one direction, it cannot be spun as tit for tat. Even Abbas has said that Hamas is responsible and brought this on themselves. The second thing we won was the element of surprise.

More reactions from the Israeli blogosphere will be forthcoming, including further coverage from the various points-of-view involved in the current conflict. Keep checking the Global Voices special coverage page for more updates.