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ISRAEL WON'T DISCUSS ARMENIAN MASSACRE
United Press International
March 15 2007
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 14 (UPI) -- Fears that discussing the Armenian
genocide would disrupt Israel's relations with Turkey led lawmakers
to drop the issue Wednesday.
Voting 15 to 12, the Israeli legislature rejected a call by Knesset
Member Haim Oron of the dovish opposition Meretz Party to discuss
the massacre that next month will mark its 80th anniversary. Ottoman
Turks have killed almost 1.5 million Armenians and deported more than
500,000 others then, Oron noted.
"Especially as a people who knew the Shoah (Nazi Holocaust) ...
fought its denial, we must show special sensitivity to another nation's
disaster," he said.
However Haaretz noted that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign
Minister Tzipi Livni wanted the motion killed because they feared a
crisis with Turkey.
Oron said the Prime Minister's office had asked him to drop the
subject and Livni, called him twice asking him to let go.
Health Minister Yaakov Ben-Yizri, who spoke on Livni's behalf, said
Israel understands the Armenians' sensitivity, each side tried to
proves its case, and Israel hopes they could have an open dialogue
to heal wounds.
The Turks have been particularly sensitive to U.S. moves to recognize
that massacre as "genocide."
Turkish Daily News noted that in the past month Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul, Chief of the General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit
and a Turkish parliamentary delegation met U.S. Congressmen and
administration officials to prevent a decision recognizing the Armenian
massacre as genocide.
They argued such a decision would be a psychological victory for the
Armenians, and a cause for claiming compensation and territory.
United Press International
March 15 2007
TEL AVIV, Israel, March 14 (UPI) -- Fears that discussing the Armenian
genocide would disrupt Israel's relations with Turkey led lawmakers
to drop the issue Wednesday.
Voting 15 to 12, the Israeli legislature rejected a call by Knesset
Member Haim Oron of the dovish opposition Meretz Party to discuss
the massacre that next month will mark its 80th anniversary. Ottoman
Turks have killed almost 1.5 million Armenians and deported more than
500,000 others then, Oron noted.
"Especially as a people who knew the Shoah (Nazi Holocaust) ...
fought its denial, we must show special sensitivity to another nation's
disaster," he said.
However Haaretz noted that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign
Minister Tzipi Livni wanted the motion killed because they feared a
crisis with Turkey.
Oron said the Prime Minister's office had asked him to drop the
subject and Livni, called him twice asking him to let go.
Health Minister Yaakov Ben-Yizri, who spoke on Livni's behalf, said
Israel understands the Armenians' sensitivity, each side tried to
proves its case, and Israel hopes they could have an open dialogue
to heal wounds.
The Turks have been particularly sensitive to U.S. moves to recognize
that massacre as "genocide."
Turkish Daily News noted that in the past month Foreign Minister
Abdullah Gul, Chief of the General Staff Gen. Yasar Buyukanit
and a Turkish parliamentary delegation met U.S. Congressmen and
administration officials to prevent a decision recognizing the Armenian
massacre as genocide.
They argued such a decision would be a psychological victory for the
Armenians, and a cause for claiming compensation and territory.