Noah, I’m going to quibble a little. I had written a similar piece back in 2001, but I sense the tide may be shifting. First, there is a generation component. Fewer young people, for example, can point out (or are even aware) of Erbil’s Jewish quarter. In the last year, many Jewish buildings in Kuysanjaq have fallen victim to the developers’ bulldozer. And in Sulaymaniyah, the destruction of old building in the former Jewish area is a historian’s nightmare. Memory is being erased. Second, as corruption among the major political parties increases in Iraqi Kurdistan, so too does Islamist influence. Erbil has grown steadily more conservative over the past five years. Many of the mosques in Erbil and Dahuk are built with the assistance of Saudi NGOs. WAMY and IIRO have active presences (even if the KDP keeps a close eye on both). On the PUK side, such sentiment permeates the region around Halabja around which there is still heavy Iranian penetration. While some senior officials speak openly–and truthfully–about their desire for a relationship with the Jewish state, behind the scenes there is also a creeping anti-Semitism in senior Kurdish circles. Ironically, and perhaps supportive of your observation, this is most pronounced among Nechervan and Masud Barzani’s non-Kurdish advisers.

On a separate note, it is unfortunate that, because I have written about corruption in Iraqi Kurdistan, some Kurdish officials have decided to question and interrogate my former students to see who may be speaking to me on the issue.