ISRAELI SPEAKER: "NOT APPROPRIATE" FOR KNESSET TO IGNORE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Armen Hareyan HULIQ.com

HULIQ.com
April 30 2010
SC

Yesterday the Knesset of Israel gave it’s first go-ahead for the
discussions aiming at recognizing the Armenian Genocide. Expressing his
view on the matter the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament Reuven Rivlin
said while acknowledging the Armenian genocide is not a provocation
against Turkey, "it is not appropriate for the Knesset to ignore this,"
Today’s Zaman reports.

The bill to recognize the Armenian genocide by Israel, a nation
that itself has suffered a genocide, has never come this far in the
country’s parliament. Twelve parliamentarians voted in favor and
eight against the proposal.

The Knesset now will debate the proposal that there has been a genocide
committed by Ottoman Turks against the Armenian population in 1915-1921
on a House Committee level. The committee will decide what to do and
where to send the proposal.

What’s Next For The Armenian Genocide Recognition in Israel

Now, Knesset’s House committee will send the genocide debate proposal
either to the Education Committee or to the Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee. The chairman of the Meretz party, who brought the proposal
forward wants it to go to the Education Committee. The government of
Israel wants the proposal to go to the Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, which generally holds its hearings behind closed doors.

Israeli Knesset in September of 2009 had declined to discuss the
Armenian Genocide recognition debate. However, getting this proposal
this far is a very significant development.

The Significance of Knesset’s Decision on Armenian Genocide Proposal

Turkey does not accept that its ancestors committed on of the worst
massacres of the 20th century: namely the Armenian Genocide, killing
1.5 million people. While more than 20 countries, including France,
Russia, Poland, Argentina and 44 U.S. States have recognized that those
events amounted to a genocide of nearly and entire nation, Turkey has
spend a lot of money and effort to ensure the U.S. Congress does not
pass a resolution of recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

Pro-Jewish lobby in Washington had helped Turkey’s efforts and assisted
very much.

However, now as Israel has come so close to recognition of the Armenian
genocide, Turkey stands alone against the U.S. Congress.

There is a good chance Speker Pelosi will bring the issue up before
the mid-term elections in November.

Due to Israel’s policies in Gaza and Palestine Turkish-Israeli
relations had suffered a major setback. Feridun Sinirlioglu, the
undersecretary of Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, who recently made two
shuttle diplomacy trips to the capital of Armenia, Yerevan and the
capital of Azerbaijan Baku, will now travel to Israel to discuss
bilateral ties. Certainly the issue of the recognition of Armenian
Genocide will be on the agenda.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress