Irbil Express Reservations on Iraqi Court Decision to Annul Referendum

Iraqi Kurdish protesters deploy a giant flag of their autonomous Kurdistan region during a pro-independence rally in Irbil. (AFP)
Iraqi Kurdish protesters deploy a giant flag of their autonomous Kurdistan region during a pro-independence rally in Irbil. (AFP)
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Irbil Express Reservations on Iraqi Court Decision to Annul Referendum

Iraqi Kurdish protesters deploy a giant flag of their autonomous Kurdistan region during a pro-independence rally in Irbil. (AFP)
Iraqi Kurdish protesters deploy a giant flag of their autonomous Kurdistan region during a pro-independence rally in Irbil. (AFP)

The Iraqi Kurdistan Region expressed on Monday its reservations on an Iraqi Federal Court rule, stipulating that the September 25 Kurdish independence referendum is "unconstitutional.”

Outgoing Kurdish President Masoud Barzani criticized the ruling, saying the court did not issue a ruling that showed its neutrality.

In a statement issued by his office on Monday evening, he said: “The decision by the Federal Court is unilateral, political, and has exploited constitutional texts in the interest of some political parties.”

He added that the court disregarded violations committed by the Iraqi government against 55 articles of the constitution, including failing to implement Article 140 to resolve the disputed areas and cutting the Kurdistan Region budget.

For his part, Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani told reporters on Monday that the Federal Court’s ruling was made “unilaterally and without the presence of Kurdish representatives.”

Earlier, the Iraqi Supreme Federal Court issued a verdict ruling that "the September 25 referendum, in the Kurdistan region and the disputed areas outside the region, was unconstitutional," Ayas al-Samouk, head of the court's media office, said in a brief statement.

The government of Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi welcomed the ruling and called on all parties to respect the constitution.

"We call on everyone to respect the constitution and to act under its roof in resolving all controversial issues and avoid taking any step contrary to the constitution and the law," a statement by Abadi's office said following the court’s decision.

In return, several observers said that the Federal Court’s ruling could offer an exit for both parties to start dialogue.

A deputy from the ruling Kurdistan Democratic party, Fares al-Briykakani said that the court decision “opens the door for real dialogue between Baghdad and Irbil,” adding that the ruling was binding.



Israel’s Parliament Backs Symbolic Motion to Annex the West Bank

A general view of a plenary session to vote on a bill for applying Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank territory, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 July 2025. (EPA)
A general view of a plenary session to vote on a bill for applying Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank territory, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 July 2025. (EPA)
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Israel’s Parliament Backs Symbolic Motion to Annex the West Bank

A general view of a plenary session to vote on a bill for applying Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank territory, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 July 2025. (EPA)
A general view of a plenary session to vote on a bill for applying Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank territory, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, 23 July 2025. (EPA)

Israeli lawmakers voted 71-13 in favor of the measure, which calls for “applying Israeli sovereignty to Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley,” the biblical terms for the area.

Wednesday’s motion, advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, is declarative and has no direct legal implications, although it could place the issue of annexation on the agenda of future debates in the parliament.

Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, along with the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians want all three for a future state. Some 3 million Palestinians and over 500,000 Jewish settlers live in the West Bank.

Annexation of the West Bank could make it impossible to create a viable Palestinian state alongside Israel, which is seen internationally as the only realistic way to resolve the conflict.

Last year, the Israeli parliament approved a similar symbolic motion declaring opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state.