AZG Armenian Daily #078, 30/04/2005

Armenian Genocide

YOSI SARID’S THOUGHTS AFTER INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Yosi Sarid’s article “Return from Armenia” was published on April 27 in
Haaretz newspaper. Yosi Sarid is the member of Israel’s Kneset. He wrote the
article after the participation in “Ultimate Crime, Ultimate Challenge.
Human Rights and Genocide” conference held in Yerevan on April 20-21. Yehuda
Bauer, Israel Charni, Yair Oran were also invited to the conference.

“Israel’s pretense is extremely important for the Armenians. They even made
some changes in the schedule, giving us an opportunity to return home on the
eve of Pesakh. The Jewish-Israeli position in the issue of the Armenian
Genocide deeply concerns and at the same time encourages the Armenians. They
are concerned as the official Israel still avoids to recognize their
ultimate crime. They are encouraged, as the world’s Jewish community and we
rebelled against the statement of Simon Peres who denied the Armenian
Genocide,” Sarid wrote.

Sarid called all the disputes over the fact of the genocide stupid and
disgusting. He says that it’s out of the question that one could kill 1,5
million of people in two years without planning the massacres beforehand.
“The Turks can bring thousands of excuses and explain what had happened, but
that is not the point. The point is that people, women, children, men died a
cruel and unnatural death,” he said.

Sarid also touched upon the prevention of the genocide, meaning that the
phenomenon of the genocide still exists. He emphasized the importance of the
responsibility. “Today’s Turks are not guilty for that, so I can’t
understand why they still deny the genocide instead of bearing the moral and
the historical responsibility. They damage their authority, especially, when
they are knocking at the EU’s doors. They should be admitted, but only after
bearing the responsibility,” Sarid wrote.

By Ruzan Poghosian