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Iraqi political thinker Hassan Al-'Alawi said in a September 23, 2020 interview on Zagros TV (Iraqi Kurdistan) that Arab politicians can no longer say that they will destroy Israel and throw it into the sea, because Israel has become so powerful. He also said that he thinks most Iraqis would support peace with Israel because they do not want to fight another war after the Iran-Iraq War. Al-'Alawi added that Iraq is leaning towards peace – and even normalization - with Israel, Turkey, and Iran. In a September 26, 2020 interview on Asia TV (Iraq), Al-'Alawi also said that he is certain that Iraqi PM Mustafa Al-Kadhimi would like to establish relations with Israel, especially since the Palestinians themselves recognized Israel decades ago. For more about Hassan Alawi, see MEMRI TV clip no. 5957.
Hassan Al-'Alawi, September 23: "When Iraq joined the [1948] war in Palestine, Israel was not a state, and the Zionist movement consisted of the Haganah gangs. Back then, one could fight it. Later, Israel became a state – a powerful nuclear state – and the question of destroying Israel and throwing it into the sea has become a joke. No politician can say anymore that he will throw Israel into the sea. Who will throw Israel into the sea?
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"Israel is the only European country in the Middle East. When Europe defends Israel, it defends itself. It defends its model. Israel is the European model in the Middle East.
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"After their eight-year war with Iran, the Iraqis are no longer willing to enter another war. If you conduct a survey among them whether they want peace or war with Israel, I believe that most of them will vote for peace, because they do not want another million Iraqis to die.
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"Today, Iraq is leaning towards peace on all fronts. It wants peace with Iran. It wants peace with Turkey. It wants peace with Israel. Today's Iraq is a country that leans towards peace."
Interviewer 1: "What about normalization?"
Al-'Alawi: "Even normalization."
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Al-'Alawi, September 26: "Generally speaking, PM [Al-Kadhimi] would like to establish relations with Israel. Are you courageous enough to repeat this?"
Interviewer 2: "Mr. Mustafa Al-Kadhimi wishes to normalize Iraq's relations with Israel?"
Al-'Alawi: "Yes. After the Oslo Accords, populist slogans have dominated the discussion about Israel. The Palestinians themselves recognized Israel in the Oslo Accords."
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Interviewer 2: "You said that Mustafa Al-Kadhimi would like to normalize Iraq's relations with Israel. Is that a smart move?"
Al-'Alawi: "I'm sure of that."
Interviewer 2: "You are sure that this is a smart move?"
Al-'Alawi: "I do not want to give a fatwa about this and say one thing or another, but in the wake of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian cause has lost its justification. Saying [non-conformist] things about it is no longer a violation of its justification."
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