TEL AVIV—Knesset members from the left and right on Tuesday called for Israel to recognize the Armenian genocide, a topic which has been avoided for years for fear of hurting diplomatic relations with Turkey, Times of Israel reported.
“I’m aware of the sensitivity, but I’m not blaming modern-day Turkey. The government that committed these acts was overturned by Turkey itself,” former Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin (Likud) said during a special session on the topic, marking 98 years since the series of massacres took place. This issue cannot be turned into a political one, he emphasized.
Rivlin also addressed the efforts to mend Israel’s ties with Turkey, which were all but severed following the deaths of nine Turkish nationals in the 2010 IDF raid of the Mavi Marmara as it attempted to break a naval blockade and reach the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
“I’m sure Turkey will be an ally. I think a solution needs to be found for this crisis, but it’s unthinkable that the Knesset ignore this tragedy,” Rivlin stated. “We demand that people don’t deny the Holocaust, and we can’t ignore the tragedy of another nation.”
There are huge differences between the Holocaust and the murder of the Armenians, Rivlin told Army Radio. Without blurring those differences, Israel must find a way to “fulfill its moral obligation of remembering wrongs done to others.”
“Reconciliation with Turkey is an important strategic move, but it shouldn’t affect recognition [of the Armenian genocide],” said Meretz head Zahava Gal-on, who initiated the discussion. It’s time for Israel to join 27 other countries and acknowledge the mass murder, she added.
Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) is also of the opinion that Israel officially recognize the genocide. “The silence of the world in face of the [Armenian] genocide influenced Hitler when he planned the Final Solution,” the legislator said, adding that Israel cannot afford to encourage forgetfulness.
“When a nation is in danger, no one cares. No one cared about the genocide in Rwanda,” Shaked said. “The fate of every nation is in its own hands.”
Also Tuesday, Hebrew University Professor Israel Charny, a world expert on genocide, donated his library to the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute; the collection included hundreds of volumes on the Holocaust and the Armenian genocide, as well as other events in history.
How many discussions must take place before Israel recognses the Armenian Genocide? Surely theu know exactly what happened. Stop this delaying tactics, do the right thing and recognise it!
Well Said dear Satenik !!!
it is long overdue for a nation who has suffered same to recognize.vote yes now or be in the wilderness and late
Well Said my dear friend Zohrab !!!
Jews still think hey owe Turkey because the Ottoman Empire accepted them after the Spanish expulsion of sephardic Jews from Spain.
Jews need to understand that the only reason the Ottomans accepted the Jews was because the Ottomans were in need of hard cash and gold that the Jews brought with them.
Turks never liked Jews and never will. Jews are as infidel as the Christians.
Wake up Jews and smell the coffee.
Armenians feel your pain and now its time for you to feel our pain.
IT IS THE TIME FOR ISRAEL TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, AND SHOW THAT TURKEY IS NOT CONTROLLING ISRAELS FOREIGN POLICY.
Israel, has no intention of recognizing Armenian genocide. Israel is only playing politics with Armenian history.
Go on Israel please prove me and the Armenians round the world wrong.
If you are naive enough,thinking the jews are going to accept the Armenian Genocide,ignore their brothers,the turks; THEY ARE TOO BUSY PUSHING THEIR OWN AGENDA,TO WORRY ABOUT ANYONE ELSE.
Armenians throughout the world will be watching this with anticipation. If, despite the recent reconciliation with Turkey, Israel take this bold step, then Israel will be taking an interestingly principled stance on this difficult diplomatic issue. Given the desire of Israel to use Turkey as their “aircraft carrier” I doubt that they will vote to recognise the Genocide.
you know who cares if israel recogniced the genocide or not..i mean we are begging these people like [it is a must] .. till when we will [beg] for this. who cares if they did or not for gods sake. they will never anyway. forget it. but they wanted the [wholeeeeeeeeeee] world to cry for there [pain] and the world did. all i say is ..heck with them .. to me it makes no deffreance. if they did have any feeling or any humanty they will do it without asking. this is what i know..enough is enough..if the united states does not call it [genocide] you think israles will??
I agree with you when you say “who cares if they (Israel) recognise” the Armenian Genocide. I personnaly do not care even if the US do not pronounce the word genocide. But I don’t agree with you when you say “if the US does not call it genocide, you think israel will ?”. Because I think, US will recognise the Armenian Genocide if israel does.
Yawn……..what’s for dinner mom?
Hey Turkey
I say thank you but no thank you. Armenians do not want your so called recognition. Too little , too late. Keep it to yourselves; your are insincere, period.
Any person country or any state denies the Armenian Genocide can deny any Holocaust or any Genocide
any time.
Why would Israel want any other people of Genocide to steal their moments under the lights? they would not- they make the movies, open the museums and push all over- good for them but they are NOT ALONE-we do not need their recognition- We are not their enemy – we are competitors though they want it all. We need to forget their plea and do our own thing. They are strong here cuz they invest their money and push their generations to push the world to know. Well they are doing the right thing for themselves-peopel get sick of hearing it-lets do and continue our own thing. We are a friend-they came to help in the earthquakes-though they work with our enemy-it is for their survival-Hence they are here
On this sad day, April 24, Armenians all around the world are remembering our martyrs who were massacred by the Ottoman Turks. My parents were born in Marash and Adana. I learned Turkish listening to their conversation together in Turkish. I was born in the Middle East. As an adult, I interviewed several older Armenians about the tragic events in Turkey during W.W. I. We have testimonials, witnesses and pictures taken by German army officers and American missionaries.
Of all the countries in the world Israel should be the first one to recognize the massacres of April 24, 1915. Why Israel does not recognize the Armenian Genocide? Politics and the fear of alienation of modern day Turkey. This means that Jewish people are denying the truth by not recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Shame on you people of Israel. Armenians have always been friendly to Jews all around the world including in Syria. You will not earn our respect till you recognize the Armenian Genocide.
If they do recognize it; I’ll chew off my index finger.
They have nothing to gain by it. They never do anyhting unless there is a profit or gain. There is a possibility for propaganda purposes to recognize it as the ” precursor to the holocaust”, and that “it served the Germans as a model for the holocaust”. The emphasis on the recognition will be to re- emphasize with a heavier accent the spin off which was their on ” calamity’. Already one never finds the mention of the Armenian genocide without leaping on to the Holocaust, and why the holocaust this and why the holocaust that. . I have learnt more about the holocaust by reading about the Armenian massacres than the Armenian genocide in itself. Yes ,the Armenian ” genocide” will be the appetizing hors de’ heuvre leading to the main course which is what it is of utmost interest to them and ” for the world” . However , has ony one encountered any references on the Armenian genocide when reading or studying about the holocaust ?? No. There is an unwritten understanding that one should never mention the Armenian genocide by itself, but always intertwine it to their history of the WW2..
Well Said Dear Arziv !!!
Plato said that serious man never uses too many words when doing serious thing.
No mature nation uses too many sessions to recognize a horrible crime.
No nation does a move for any other nation. If Israel needs to recognize Armenian genocide, it will. If it does not need – it will not. And there is no way for us to blame them for that.
What about us? We can stop expecting. And this is that should wake up other nations.
Well Said Dear Lusik !!!
The Jewish intellectuals know already about the Armenian genocide.
The only reason the Knesset pretends to officially recognize it every now and then is to get concessions from the Turkish government in the wake of a forced reconciliation imposed by the U.S.A.
This is Nothing but Political spin ! Don’t drink the cool aid!
Ronnie, I agree you, It’s a politic between Israel, Turkey and USA!!!
Well Said Dear Ronnie !!!
You hit the nail to the head dude. That’s why Likud emphasized by saying the issue “cannot be turned into political one”. Who are they kidding, really?
No, not just that. They are deeply in love.
Here is the latest news about the deepening level and nature of the Turkey-Israel ties:
“Իսրայելի հետախուզության շրջանակներին մոտ Debka լրատվական կայքը հայտնել է, որ Թուրքիայի ազգային հետախուզական կազմակերպությունն (MIT) ու Իսրայելի ազգային հետախուզական MOSSAD կազմակերպության իրավասուները որոշել են տեղեկատվություն փոխանակել Սիրիայի հարցում:”
And we guess (?) they share intelligence not only on Syria!!!
We should not forget that Israel supplies weapons, including UAVs, to Ali-Baba’s regime. The total amount so far is a billion or two of US$.
Israelis and Armenians are in the same boat, but vvearing different hats.
Not even close dude. Please do no insult Armenia by placing it in the same boat with the criminal pariah state known as israhell. Israel is slowly doing to the Palestinians what turks did on a wider scale to Armenians.
You should not provide any coverage for Isreal’s debate on Armenian genocide, as it’s merely a show each time, every time.
They just want to show Turkey they have a serious political trump card in their hand, but they will never play it, because if push comes to shove and they corner Turkey to get serious about this subject, the s***t will hit the fan and many facts will come out that will greatly embarrass Israel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mHxoaDMv6tU
Well, said ronnie. You got the point. It is nothing other than a game for Israel to gain concessions from the Turkish Government. Don”t expect anything else.
How pathetic it is that in this world of advanced morals we actually need to ask people to recognize our demise as a nation on it’s historic home land. Truely discusting, every country with any inteligencia knows quite well the slaughter yes actual slaughter the Armenians endured as citizens of the butchering nation. It discusts me that we need to plat these games, perhaps it is that we are a small nation with nothing to bring to the table…I dont know. It is a joke that the press has began to slip into their commentaries on the genocide that “Armenians allege that Turks killed…” when the US has one of the most complete records of the genocide. I actually frightens me that Israel is debating such a well doccumented fact, and that they dont realize that before Hitler began his slaughter of the Jews he is quoted as saying ” after all, who today remembers the anilation of the Armenians. There are many in Israel who are not politically swayed and want justice so dont confuse politics with people I guess this is a test of morals vs. politics.
You can’t see any mention in Israel’s press about Israel Knesset Discusses Genocide Recognition I checked several times on web site…Haaretz.com and nothing, I believe they are using Genocide to press Turkey for Mavi Marmara and other strategic reasons, though the world is fed up with Holocuast movies and their beeng victimized by Germany.
Well I guess that’s a tradition for Knesset.
And not only for Knesset.
Here is the latest news about the deepening level and nature of the Turkey-Israel ties:
“Իսրայելի հետախուզության շրջանակներին մոտ Debka լրատվական կայքը հայտնել է, որ Թուրքիայի ազգային հետախուզական կազմակերպությունն (MIT) ու Իսրայելի ազգային հետախուզական MOSSAD կազմակերպության իրավասուները որոշել են տեղեկատվություն փոխանակել Սիրիայի հարցում:”
And we guess (?) they share intelligence not only on Syria!!!
Kenesset members for once show to the whole world that you are not cowards and not afraid of the genocidal turkish regime and Recognize The Armenian Genocide . Stop the game kenesset members , Say the Truth and Stop Denying the Armenian Genocide.
Here is the latest news about the deepening level and nature of the Turkey-Israel lies:
“Իսրայելի հետախուզության շրջանակներին մոտ Debka լրատվական կայքը հայտնել է, որ Թուրքիայի ազգային հետախուզական կազմակերպությունն (MIT) ու Իսրայելի ազգային հետախուզական MOSSAD կազմակերպության իրավասուները որոշել են տեղեկատվություն փոխանակել Սիրիայի հարցում:”
And we guess (?) they share intelligence not only on Syria!!!
Israel will may be recognbizes the Armenian Genocide after Turkey does!