Kurds storm Israeli consulate after arrest of separatist leader

NEW YORK, Feb. 17 (JTA) — Israel’s growing military ties with Turkey have embroiled the Jewish state in the Kurdish people’s 14-year-old separatist struggle against Turkey. That struggle reached the boiling point this week when Turkey arrested the leader of the Kurdish separatists, Abdullah Ocalan, in Kenya. Kurdish protesters reacted with rampages throughout Europe, seizing consulates, battling with police and threatening mass suicides. On Wednesday, Kurds turned their anger on Israel, storming the Israeli consulate in Berlin. Three Kurds were killed by Israeli guards at the Berlin consulate, and at least 16 others were wounded, some severely. No Israelis were hurt, according to the Israeli Foreign Ministry. Israel ordered all its diplomatic missions in Europe closed after the Kurdish assault on its consulate. Israel’s missions in the United States continued to operate normally, but its consulate in New York requested increased security from local officials, according to a consular official there. In Berlin, leading Jewish organizations closed their offices after the incident. The German government said the attack was “shocking” and appealed for calm. The U.S. State Department, meanwhile, urged Americans traveling abroad to take special precautions. An Israeli woman who was a relative of an employee at the Berlin consulate was briefly taken hostage, but later released unharmed. The protesters were angered by news reports, vehemently denied by Israel, that Israeli intelligence officials had helped Turkey arrest Ocalan. The Kurdish separatist leader was flown to Turkey on Tuesday to face trial and a possible death sentence for his activities. It is “unfortunate” that Israel has been dragged into the situation, said an official with a Jewish organization in Europe. The official noted that Wednesday’s developments were ironic, given Israel’s “warm and sympathetic” relationship with Iraqi Kurds. But because of Israel’s relations with Turkey, the Jewish state’s relationship with Turkish Kurds has been otherwise, the official said. In recent years, relations between Israel and Turkey have warmed. As part of those relations, the two countries signed military agreements and conducted joint military training exercises. In Tel Aviv, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Israeli guards at the Berlin consulate had fired in self defense when Kurds broke in. “Israeli security personnel are instructed in such circumstances to act with all force — if necessary also by opening fire in self-defense — and in order to prevent the taking of hostages,” Netanyahu told a news conference Wednesday. “While Israel regrets any loss of life, we are committed to defending Israeli citizens and Israeli missions throughout the world.” The premier described the incident, saying that “at least 10 persons, wielding hammers and bats,” broke into the consulate, “passing through the German police responsible for external security. “Climbing on the barred windows of the first floor of the building, they broke into the second-story windows and entered the consulate. “Inside the consulate, they tried to seize weapons, resulting in gunfire and the first casualty. “They attempted to take a woman hostage. She was later released through negotiations conducted by the German police and authorities,” Netanyahu said. He also reiterated that Israel “had no part whatsoever” in the capture
of Ocalan. Tuesday’s protests by the Kurds, which appeared to be a coordinated effort, included demonstrations in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow and Sydney, Australia. At least three Kurds were seriously injured when they set themselves on fire, including a 17-year-old girl in Germany. Much of the Kurds anger was directed against Greece. The Greek Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, had been giving Ocalan protection after he was forced to leave Italy last month. Greek officials in Athens and Nairobi denied that they had turned the Kurdish leader over to Turkey.