Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the United States. Photo: Wikipedia.

Israel’s ambassador to the US said in an interview with Erbil-based ُKurdistan24  TV on Wednesday that Jerusalem supports the Kurds in their struggle for independence and their fight against ISIS.

Ron Dermer expressed his well wishes for the Kurdish people and said that Israelis and Kurds were connected by their mutual love of freedom and the struggle for liberty. Dermer went on to say that Israel would continue to stand with Kurdistan, and “looks forward to not just years — but decades of continued friendship between the Kurdish and Jewish peoples.”

Dermer’s comments come at a sensitive time, as Israel is engaged in reconciliation talks with Turkey, which opposes an independent Kurdistan and is fighting Kurdish separatists.

Israel has long advocated for Kurdish independence. Most recently, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a policy address in 2014 in which he said that the Kurds were worthy of their own state, because they are “a fighting people that have proven their political commitment and moderation.”