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KNESSET DEBATES RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Hillary Zaken
Discussion takes place as relations with Turkey are tenser than ever
http://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-debates-recognition-of-armenian-genocide/
June 12, 2012, 2:49 pm
Armenians mark the anniversary of the Armenian genocide in 2007 in
Jerusalem (photo credit: Yossi Zamir/Flash 90)
On Tuesday, the Knesset marked the Armenian genocide with a special
session to debate recognition of the genocide, as Israeli relations
with Turkey continue to deteriorate.
The Israeli parliament has in the past refrained from public debates
on the subject for fear of alienating the Turkish government, one of
the Jewish state's few allies in a hostile Middle East.
However, the timing of the discussion about the Armenian genocide,
perpetrated by the Ottomans about a century ago, coincides with the
release of the state comptroller's report about the 2010 raid on
the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship attempting to break the blockade
of the Gaza Strip, in which the IDF killed nine Turkish nationals,
as well as the Turkish decision to indict senior IDF officials in
absentia over the incident.
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said that the discussion of the genocide,
promoted by MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz), was not connected to the
current strained relations between Israel and Turkey.
Rivlin also told Globes: "As Jews, and as human beings, we cannot
ignore this issue and we must not turn away from our commitment to
morality... As [a country] struggling in the international arena with
Holocaust denial, we cannot deny the tragedy of another people."
In December 2011, the Knesset Education Committee discussed the
Armenian genocide for the first time. Gal-On, who also initiated that
discussion, said then: "For years, Israel always took into account
its relations with Turkey. That is the central issue in terms of
recognition of the murder of the Armenian people, which has yet to
take place in Israel's Knesset," according to Haaretz.
The Armenian genocide was the murder of between 1 million and 1.5
million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire during and following
World War I. Although the Turkish government denies that a genocide
was committed, many international bodies recognize that it did in
fact occur.
Hillary Zaken
Discussion takes place as relations with Turkey are tenser than ever
http://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-debates-recognition-of-armenian-genocide/
June 12, 2012, 2:49 pm
Armenians mark the anniversary of the Armenian genocide in 2007 in
Jerusalem (photo credit: Yossi Zamir/Flash 90)
On Tuesday, the Knesset marked the Armenian genocide with a special
session to debate recognition of the genocide, as Israeli relations
with Turkey continue to deteriorate.
The Israeli parliament has in the past refrained from public debates
on the subject for fear of alienating the Turkish government, one of
the Jewish state's few allies in a hostile Middle East.
However, the timing of the discussion about the Armenian genocide,
perpetrated by the Ottomans about a century ago, coincides with the
release of the state comptroller's report about the 2010 raid on
the Mavi Marmara, a Turkish ship attempting to break the blockade
of the Gaza Strip, in which the IDF killed nine Turkish nationals,
as well as the Turkish decision to indict senior IDF officials in
absentia over the incident.
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin said that the discussion of the genocide,
promoted by MK Zahava Gal-On (Meretz), was not connected to the
current strained relations between Israel and Turkey.
Rivlin also told Globes: "As Jews, and as human beings, we cannot
ignore this issue and we must not turn away from our commitment to
morality... As [a country] struggling in the international arena with
Holocaust denial, we cannot deny the tragedy of another people."
In December 2011, the Knesset Education Committee discussed the
Armenian genocide for the first time. Gal-On, who also initiated that
discussion, said then: "For years, Israel always took into account
its relations with Turkey. That is the central issue in terms of
recognition of the murder of the Armenian people, which has yet to
take place in Israel's Knesset," according to Haaretz.
The Armenian genocide was the murder of between 1 million and 1.5
million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire during and following
World War I. Although the Turkish government denies that a genocide
was committed, many international bodies recognize that it did in
fact occur.