Netanyahu denies Israeli role in Kurdish referendum

GAZA CITY - 2 October 2017: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was not involved in the Kurdish referendum, Haaretz reported.

"Israel played no part in the Kurdish referendum, aside from the natural, deep and long-standing sympathy the Jewish people have for the Kurdish people and their aspirations," Netanyahu said at the start of the weekly government meeting.

With 92 percent voting "yes," Iraq's Kurds overwhelmingly backed independence in Monday's referendum, defying neighboring countries which fear the vote could fuel Kurdish separatism within their own borders and lead to fresh conflict.