ISRAEL SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST COUNTRY TO RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE: YAIR AURON
19:47, 22 April, 2015
YEREVAN, 22 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Genocide is not just
an issue concerning the Armenians and Turks, but an issue that
concerns all mankind, and by denying the Armenian Genocide, mankind
is laying the foundation for the continuation of genocides. This is
what Israeli historian and genocide expert Yair Auron said. According
to “Armenpress”, before speaking at the forum entitled “Against the
Crime of Genocide” in Yerevan, Auron expressed gratitude to Rwandan
genocide survivor Esther Mujavayo who didn’t forget about the Armenians
while talking about the Rwandan genocide. Auron stressed that Armenian
Genocide recognition is also necessary for Turkey because without it,
Turkey can’t become a democratic country.
“There has to be a way for unity and recognition, as well as for the
unification of Armenia and Karabakh. Your struggle is not over yet.
When we look at Armenia and see Karabakh, we understand that your
struggle is not over yet,” Auron said.
The genocide expert stressed that there is no third party when it
comes to the issue of genocide and that for him the Armenian Genocide
is first and foremost a moral issue, not a legal or political issue.
“We have to reflect on the Armenian Genocide because we are human
beings. I am a Jew and can’t avoid the fact that Israel isn’t
recognizing the Armenian Genocide when it should have been the first
to do so. I would like to say something that has taken me years to
say. When we deny the Armenian Genocide, we deny the remembrance of
our victims. For me the legacy of the genocide is the sanctity of a
human being. It is the inviolability of human life.”