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ISRAEL'S TORCH: SHEDDING LIGHT ON TURKEY'S ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
by Daniel Bender
PolicyMic
http://www.policymic.com/articles/3265/israel-s-torch-shedding-light-on-turkey-s-armenian-genocide/category_list
Jan 10 2012
The Armenian holocaust occurred nearly a century ago, but it has been
garnering special attention lately. Israel's Knesset recently held a
public conference on whether or not the state should honor the victims
of the genocide, which left nearly 1.5 million dead. These moves come
at the expense of Turkish leadership, who for decades has rejected
calls for acceptance of its own culpability in the Armenian holocaust.
In spite of Turkish angst, the time is ripe for Israel and the rest of
the world to fully recognize Turkey's role in the genocide. In doing
so, Turkey can begin to get past this brutal episode in its history,
and proceed unburdened into holding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's
regime responsible for its ongoing crimes against humanity.
In fact, for Israel to have waited this long is shameful, given that
it was a state born from the carnage of the Jewish Holocaust. Israel,
though, has had sound, practical reasons to avoid the issue. After
all, Israel and Turkey were relatively-democratic allies who worked
closely together against radical Islam and terrorism in the Middle
East. Since early 2009, however, Turkish leadership has turned
against Israeli efforts to curb Palestinian terrorism. In doing so,
it has ignored its own rough history with anti-terrorism and ethnic
cleansing. Through its actions, Turkey has shown little interest in
healing the rift it has created in the once-strong alliance. In order
to respond accordingly, it is past time that Israel recognized the
plight of the Armenian people.
Currently over 20 countries around the world (and 43 U.S. states)
recognize the Armenian genocide. The U.S. government has yet to
officially acknowledge the atrocities perpetrated by the Ottomans
during World War I. Like Israel, American hesitation thus far has
stemmed from a pragmatic approach to foreign policy throughout the
Cold War and the War on Terror. Turkey proved to be an invaluable
resource to U.S. efforts in containing Soviet communism and global
terrorism. It would not serve America's main diplomatic goals to upset
such a prominent ally in the region, but with Israel making moves
towards formal recognition of this event, the U.S. should do the same.
Acknowledging the Armenian genocide would be the moral thing to do,
but it would only be the first step. The U.S. should also use its
global influence to persuade other countries around the world to
follow suit. Of course Turkey will initially respond negatively
towards Israel and the U.S., but if enough countries follow in
their footsteps, Turkey may have no choice but to do the same and
move beyond the blemish on its otherwise proud history. If Turkey
can come to terms with the crimes of its past, much as Germany did
regarding the Holocaust and America has done regarding it's treatment
of African slaves and American Indians, then it can progress on its
path toward modernity. If it truly wishes to play a stronger role
in the greater Middle East, it needs to remove this weight from its
shoulders. Only then can it become the credible leader in illuminating
crimes committed by the Assad regime in neighboring Syria.
by Daniel Bender
PolicyMic
http://www.policymic.com/articles/3265/israel-s-torch-shedding-light-on-turkey-s-armenian-genocide/category_list
Jan 10 2012
The Armenian holocaust occurred nearly a century ago, but it has been
garnering special attention lately. Israel's Knesset recently held a
public conference on whether or not the state should honor the victims
of the genocide, which left nearly 1.5 million dead. These moves come
at the expense of Turkish leadership, who for decades has rejected
calls for acceptance of its own culpability in the Armenian holocaust.
In spite of Turkish angst, the time is ripe for Israel and the rest of
the world to fully recognize Turkey's role in the genocide. In doing
so, Turkey can begin to get past this brutal episode in its history,
and proceed unburdened into holding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's
regime responsible for its ongoing crimes against humanity.
In fact, for Israel to have waited this long is shameful, given that
it was a state born from the carnage of the Jewish Holocaust. Israel,
though, has had sound, practical reasons to avoid the issue. After
all, Israel and Turkey were relatively-democratic allies who worked
closely together against radical Islam and terrorism in the Middle
East. Since early 2009, however, Turkish leadership has turned
against Israeli efforts to curb Palestinian terrorism. In doing so,
it has ignored its own rough history with anti-terrorism and ethnic
cleansing. Through its actions, Turkey has shown little interest in
healing the rift it has created in the once-strong alliance. In order
to respond accordingly, it is past time that Israel recognized the
plight of the Armenian people.
Currently over 20 countries around the world (and 43 U.S. states)
recognize the Armenian genocide. The U.S. government has yet to
officially acknowledge the atrocities perpetrated by the Ottomans
during World War I. Like Israel, American hesitation thus far has
stemmed from a pragmatic approach to foreign policy throughout the
Cold War and the War on Terror. Turkey proved to be an invaluable
resource to U.S. efforts in containing Soviet communism and global
terrorism. It would not serve America's main diplomatic goals to upset
such a prominent ally in the region, but with Israel making moves
towards formal recognition of this event, the U.S. should do the same.
Acknowledging the Armenian genocide would be the moral thing to do,
but it would only be the first step. The U.S. should also use its
global influence to persuade other countries around the world to
follow suit. Of course Turkey will initially respond negatively
towards Israel and the U.S., but if enough countries follow in
their footsteps, Turkey may have no choice but to do the same and
move beyond the blemish on its otherwise proud history. If Turkey
can come to terms with the crimes of its past, much as Germany did
regarding the Holocaust and America has done regarding it's treatment
of African slaves and American Indians, then it can progress on its
path toward modernity. If it truly wishes to play a stronger role
in the greater Middle East, it needs to remove this weight from its
shoulders. Only then can it become the credible leader in illuminating
crimes committed by the Assad regime in neighboring Syria.