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ISRAEL CHARNY: "THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL ABSOLUTELY KNOW THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE; THEY DO NOT DENY IT."
Panorama
Dec 15 2010
Armenia
On december 14-15 in Yerevan took place an international conference
titled "the Genocide as a crime: Prevention, condemnation and
elimination of the consequences".
The journalist of Panorama.am in the frameworks of the international
conference had an interview with the Executive director of the
Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem, Dr. Israel W.
Charny.
- What is the moral significance of recognizing the Armenian Genocide
in the case of Israel?
I am laughing but I am crying and I am angry and I am laughing.
Israel's failure to recognize the Armenian Genocide is a terrible
shame, it's evil, it's a failure on our part and many of us are
fighting it day and night. I have one piece of good news which helps
me to laugh; culturally we have won the battle in Israel, the people
of Israel absolutely know the Armenian Genocide, they do not deny it.
The Media in Israel, the newspapers, the magazines, TV programs
recognize the Armenian Genocide, refer to it regularly and I cannot
think right now of a single article even that is ever supported the
Government for its denial, and yet the real politic, and you see my
fist, the manipulative approach to life that you look out for yourself
even when great moral principles are involved is still winning and
we have to defeat it, so that's the significance.
- The recent developments have led to an aggravation of Turkish -
Israeli relations. In this context, many people deem it possible for
Israel to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Don't you think that any
considerations of the political landscape in such a sensitive and
delicate issue may devalue the meaning of recognition of the Armenian
Genocide by the State of Israel?
I appreciate your question because I agree completely. I would be in a
very difficult position if Israel now recognizes the Armenian Genocide,
because the Turks have become allies of a totalitarian access of Iran,
Syria and people who are real threat to Israel and to the whole free
world. Still I want Israel to recognize the Armenian Genocide under
clear, moral bases that it must be recognized and honored. Yossi Sarid
was one of the two ministers in Israel's history who recognized the
Armenian Genocide. Yossi was with me and Professor Yair Auron, to pay
tribute at the Armenian Genocide Memorial a few years ago. Yossi is
now a colonist for Ha'aretz and he wrote, it's a bit funny but it's
all very serious, he wrote a column that he is getting calls from
many people saying "Yossi ok now is the time to recognize the Armenian
Genocide and get back those miserable Turks" and Yossi writes in the
Ha'aretz "When they speak to me that way it makes me want to vomit."
- What means do the Jewish scholars employ for the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide by Israel?
Academically of course, professionally of course, in terms of our
contributions to the culture continuously. We are all interviewed
regularly, we all give talks regularly, we are all on television
regularly. The question is whether we have any means for reaching the
political level which is our mutual enemy. And an interesting answer
is that there is a proposal in the Knesset to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, it was voted positively by the Knesset a few months ago.
This is a fine step-forward. In Israel it goes from the Knesset to a
committee. In America it goes from the committee to the Congress. The
man having the move in the Knesset is a Knesset member who is the
head of Israel's tiny, weak, beautiful liberal party. His name
is Haim Oron. Politically we work with Haim Oron. By now there
is a significant number of Knesset members from all the fractions
including the man who is the head of the Right Wing Government party
of Knesset members who are very strongly in favour of the resolution
on the Armenian Genocide. We do not expect to win, I am sorry to say
this on television to Armenia. But we are doing our best. That's all
we can do in any generation.
From: A. Papazian
Panorama
Dec 15 2010
Armenia
On december 14-15 in Yerevan took place an international conference
titled "the Genocide as a crime: Prevention, condemnation and
elimination of the consequences".
The journalist of Panorama.am in the frameworks of the international
conference had an interview with the Executive director of the
Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem, Dr. Israel W.
Charny.
- What is the moral significance of recognizing the Armenian Genocide
in the case of Israel?
I am laughing but I am crying and I am angry and I am laughing.
Israel's failure to recognize the Armenian Genocide is a terrible
shame, it's evil, it's a failure on our part and many of us are
fighting it day and night. I have one piece of good news which helps
me to laugh; culturally we have won the battle in Israel, the people
of Israel absolutely know the Armenian Genocide, they do not deny it.
The Media in Israel, the newspapers, the magazines, TV programs
recognize the Armenian Genocide, refer to it regularly and I cannot
think right now of a single article even that is ever supported the
Government for its denial, and yet the real politic, and you see my
fist, the manipulative approach to life that you look out for yourself
even when great moral principles are involved is still winning and
we have to defeat it, so that's the significance.
- The recent developments have led to an aggravation of Turkish -
Israeli relations. In this context, many people deem it possible for
Israel to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Don't you think that any
considerations of the political landscape in such a sensitive and
delicate issue may devalue the meaning of recognition of the Armenian
Genocide by the State of Israel?
I appreciate your question because I agree completely. I would be in a
very difficult position if Israel now recognizes the Armenian Genocide,
because the Turks have become allies of a totalitarian access of Iran,
Syria and people who are real threat to Israel and to the whole free
world. Still I want Israel to recognize the Armenian Genocide under
clear, moral bases that it must be recognized and honored. Yossi Sarid
was one of the two ministers in Israel's history who recognized the
Armenian Genocide. Yossi was with me and Professor Yair Auron, to pay
tribute at the Armenian Genocide Memorial a few years ago. Yossi is
now a colonist for Ha'aretz and he wrote, it's a bit funny but it's
all very serious, he wrote a column that he is getting calls from
many people saying "Yossi ok now is the time to recognize the Armenian
Genocide and get back those miserable Turks" and Yossi writes in the
Ha'aretz "When they speak to me that way it makes me want to vomit."
- What means do the Jewish scholars employ for the recognition of
the Armenian Genocide by Israel?
Academically of course, professionally of course, in terms of our
contributions to the culture continuously. We are all interviewed
regularly, we all give talks regularly, we are all on television
regularly. The question is whether we have any means for reaching the
political level which is our mutual enemy. And an interesting answer
is that there is a proposal in the Knesset to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, it was voted positively by the Knesset a few months ago.
This is a fine step-forward. In Israel it goes from the Knesset to a
committee. In America it goes from the committee to the Congress. The
man having the move in the Knesset is a Knesset member who is the
head of Israel's tiny, weak, beautiful liberal party. His name
is Haim Oron. Politically we work with Haim Oron. By now there
is a significant number of Knesset members from all the fractions
including the man who is the head of the Right Wing Government party
of Knesset members who are very strongly in favour of the resolution
on the Armenian Genocide. We do not expect to win, I am sorry to say
this on television to Armenia. But we are doing our best. That's all
we can do in any generation.
From: A. Papazian