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The Israeli Knesset
Tuesday unanimously voted to include the discussion of a
resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide to its agenda.
Discussions on to which committee the bill would be referred are
expected soon.
The motion was introduced
by Meretz Chairman, MP Haim Oron, who introduces this resolution
every year to coincide with April 24.
Oron discussed this issues
with representatives of Armenian National Committee of Jerusalem
headed by Georgette Avakian. Archbishop Aris Shrvanian, the
Jerusalem Patriarchate’s public affairs director was also
present at the discussion.
“I say–let’s create the
parliamentary framework for the Knesset to discuss an issue I
believe the Knesset must discuss,” Oron told the Knesset. “It is
our duty to the Armenian people and to ourselves.”
“There are those who say
we should leave it to historians to determine whether it was
genocide,” he said. “There are Holocaust deniers who say exactly
the same thing. They rely on alleged historical sources and say
there are doubts regarding the numbers and figures of the
Holocaust.”
“Who else knows like we do
that there are some things you must fight for. Exactly one year
ago this motion moved to the Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee’s table, and there it was buried. I propose that the
Education Committee conduct a procedural discussion on it,”
added Oron.
Presenting the
government’s response on the matter was Israel’s environmental
protection minister Gilad Erdan, who said that Israel had the
moral obligation to recognize the Genocide but found that the
Knesset would not be the best forum in which to discuss the
matter.
Erdan warned that such a
resolution could adversely impact Israeli-Turkish relations.
“Israel has never denied
the terrible acts carried out against the Armenians, and I am
well aware of the intensity of the emotions given the number of
victims and the suffering of the Armenian people.”
However, he said, Israel’s
position is that “the study of the events must be done through
open discussion, and backed by the historical data, not a
political debate in the Knesset. Because of our understanding of
the pain and suffering, and so that Israel does not become a
side that deals with this from a purely political place, I ask
that we take this issue off the Knesset’s agenda.”
Jerusalem ANC chairperson
Georgette Avakian to RFE/RL’s Armenian service that in
discussing the issue with Oron, she expressed that it was
unacceptable to not recognize the Genocide because of Turkey,
since that country had termed the Israeli incursion into Gaza
genocide.
Avakian added that the ANC
of Jerusalem has reached out to Knesset members, the foreign
ministry and others in the government, adding that in a letter
Prime Minister Benjamin Netenyahu pledged to personally follow
up on this matter.
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