Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Aug 22 2007

TURKISH JEWS REGRET STATEMENT ON ARMENIANS BY US JEWISH ORGANIZATION

Istanbul, 22 August: "We have difficulty in understanding why the
Anti-Defamation League (ADL), one of the most important Jewish
organizations in the USA, has changed stance and decided to
acknowledge Armenian allegations regarding 1915 incidents," Turkish
Jewish Community announced on Wednesday [22 August].

Releasing a statement, the Community regretted the change in ADL’s
stance and recalled ADL’s National Director Abraham Foxman’s
statement that the ADL believed that the 1915 incidents "were not a
genocide".

"We have difficulty in understanding recent developments in US public
and the sudden change of views that caused difference of opinion
among some Jewish organizations," the statement noted.

The statement said that Jewish organizations in the USA will maintain
their attitude not to support the Armenian thesis regarding 1915
incidents and the related Resolution No 106 as they will not serve a
compromise between Turks and Armenians.

"We would like to stress that the news reports that begin with the
expression ‘Jews’ in local web-sites may be misleading and this view
only represents the opinion of American Jewish organizations," the
statement pointed out.

In the statement, Turkish Jewish Community stressed that the
community thinks that this matter should be discussed in academic
level within the framework of archives of all concerned parties and
continues to support the theses that parliaments are not the ground
to make decision on historical realities.

"Our state institutions are well aware of our efforts to defend
Turkey’s interests and theses, and our efforts will continue," the
statement added.