ISRAELI PARLIAMENT TO DISCUSS ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ARKA
March 27, 2008
YEREVAN, March 27. /ARKA/. The Knesset of Israel decided to discuss the
issue of the Armenian genocide. The motion to put the issue on agenda
has been made by the leader of Socialistic Party "Merets" Haim Oron.
All 11 deputies of the parliament present at the sitting, including
Agriculture Minister Shalom Simkhon, supported the motion.
Simkhon used "tragedy" instead of "genocide", yet confirmed that
"everybody knows the history; hence the issue needs to be put on
he agenda".
"Israel was trying to be an intermediary between Armenia and Turkey,
but the attempts produced no results," the government member said.
After the positive decision of the Knesset it will be decided which
parliament commission is going to consider the issue. Supposedly,
it will be the commission for education. On March 14 2007 Israeli
Parliament turned down discussion of the Armenian issue.
Armenian genocide was the first genocide committed in XX
century. Turkey rejects the accusation of massacres and the killing
of one and a half million Armenians were killed during World War I.
The fact of the Armenian genocide is recognized by many countries,
particularly by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, most of the
U.S. states, as well as by the parliaments of Greece, Cyprus,
Argentina, Belgium, Wales, National Council of Switzerland, Common
House of Canada, the Seym of Poland and lower house of Italian
parliament.