Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NY
Aug 22 2007

Conference of Presidents considering genocide resolution

Published: 08/22/2007

One day after two major organizations publicly declared the Ottoman
Empire’s slaughter of Armenians a genocide, the Jewish community’s
main umbrella body on Israel affairs is debating whether or not to
take a position on the issue and a related congressional resolution.

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
held a conference call early Wednesday to discuss adopting a
position. The call came a day after the Anti-Defamation League
dramatically reversed its own stance, using the genocide term to
describe the massacres. Also on Tuesday, the executive director of
the American Jewish Committee, David Harris, took a similar step in a
piece on the Web site of The Jerusalem Post.

Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice-chairman of the Conference of
Presidents, confirmed that member organizations were discussing the
matter. Sources said that during the conference call, the ADL’s
national director, Abraham Foxman, defended his organization’s new
position.

Despite their public statements on Tuesday, both the ADL and the AJC
continue to oppose a proposed congressional resolution that would
declare the massacres a genocide. Foxman has cited concerns about
harming Israeli-Turkish relations and the security of the Jewish
community in Turkey. Harris dismissed those worries, but says a
congressional resolution could end up hurting U.S. strategic
interests and its ties with Turkey, which adamantly rejects the
genocide label.

Morton Klein, the president of the Zionist Organization of America,
told JTA that his organization thinks that it is "imperative for Jews
to acknowledge the truth of the Turkish genocide against Armenians,
notwithstanding Turkey’s relationship with Israel." He also voiced
support for the congressional resolution.

"Acknowledging that truth of a century ago doesn’t indict the present
Turkish people or the present Turkish government, just like
acknowledging the Holocaust doesn’t indict the present German people
or the present German government," Klein said. He added: "It’s high
time for Turkey to acknowledge that truth of history and move on."