Tweet
FALLOUT LOOMS AS GENOCIDE RESOLUTION MOVES TO HOUSE
By Lorne Bell
Jewish Advocate , MA
Oct 18 2007
Many in local community stand behind support for recognition
Amid frenzied debate at the local, national and international levels,
the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted on Oct. 10 to officially
recognize the Ottoman Empire's World War I massacre of Armenians as
genocide. The non-binding House Resolution 106, which will now move
to the full House for vote, prompted Turkey to immediately recall
its ambassador to the U.S., and has elicited concerns from Israeli
and American officials about the impact on relations with the Turkish
government.
"[Relations with Turkey] are very important for Israel," said Nadav
Tamir, consul general of Israel to New England. "Israel was out of
the debate."
Officials in the Bush administration and eight former secretaries of
state signaled their opposition to the resolution in advance of last
week's vote. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.),
the former secretaries wrote that the passage of HR-106 "would endanger
our national security interests."
While the measure appeared as if it would quickly pass through
the House, nearly a dozen House members - from both parties - have
withdrawn their support for the resolution as of Wednesday, according
to the New York Times.
But while government officials are worried about the consequences
of offending Turkey, a key ally in the Middle East, local Armenians
have praised the resolution, saying any fallout between Turkey and
the U.S. will be short-lived.
"These are knee-jerk, hysterical reactions," said Khatchig Mouradian,
editor of The Armenian Weekly, which is based in Watertown. "Turkey
is not a superpower and realizes full-well it needs the U.S."
Mouradian said this summer's controversy between Boston area Armenian
and Jewish communities and the Anti-Defamation League helped to
foster awareness of the issue. That controversy, which eventually
led the national ADL to recognize the Armenian genocide, saw several
Massachusetts towns cut ties with the ADL's No Place for Hate program
and the temporary firing of the organization's regional director,
Andrew Tarsy, who publicly dissented from the national position.
"The local controversy did not directly affect the resolution, but
on an educational level, it was immensely important," said Mouradian.
But political relations with Turkey were not the only concerns voiced
by opponents of the resolution. Concerns about the safety of Jews
worldwide also played a role in the ADL's initial reluctance to
recognize the massacre as genocide.
In a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post last week,
the Jewish community of Turkey asked Congress to defeat the House
resolution. The Turkish Foreign Ministry praised the nation's Jews
for opposing what it called an "unjust and erroneous" resolution.
Any reprisal by Turkey against Jewish interests should serve as a wake
up call to American and Jewish alliances with the republic, according
to James Russell, professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University.
"If Turkey responds by blaming the Jews for this when it's fairly
obvious that the Jewish community was cautious - if not overly cautious
- then all it proves is how shaky that friendship with Turkey is,"
said Russell.
Still, the ADL has continued to oppose a congressional resolution,
calling such measures "counterproductive." And others have questioned
the wisdom of the local community's support for the resolution since
Armenia is aligned with countries that are antagonistic to Israel,
like Iran and Syria, while Turkey is a strategic ally.
Grand Rabbi Y. A. Korff cautioned this summer that the local community
may be weighing in on a situation in which it cannot make the most
informed decision. In a statement to the Advocate, the Rebbe said
that diplomatic fallout with Turkey was inevitable.
"By taking the high moral ground, doing what is 'right' for others, and
sacrificing pragmatic support for ourselves, we have once again shot
ourselves in the foot for something which, after all, doesn't really
have much, if any, practical consequence anyway," said the Rebbe.
But the resolution's affect on international relations should not
trump moral obligation, according to Nancy K. Kaufman, executive
director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston,
who has been a staunch supporter of the resolution.
"We are always concerned for the safety of Jews and we are also
vigilant about the [importance of] Turkish-Israeli and Turkish-U.S.
relations," said Kaufman. "These concerns must be taken seriously,
but they cannot be an excuse for genocide denial."
With Turkey recalling its ambassadors to the U.S., the fate
of American military bases in Turkey is a pressing concern for
U.S. officials. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Ali
Babacan told the Jerusalem Post last week that Turkish ties with
Israel as well as the U.S. would suffer if the resolution passed.
But despite looming political fallout for the U.S. and the Jewish
state, Tarsy, ADL regional director, defended the organization's
decision to recognize the genocide.
"There obviously continue to be complicated political issues on the
table," said Tarsy. "The hope in all of this is for recognition of
the very difficult history [in Turkey] and for reconciliation. I
think that's everyone's hope."
http://www.thejewishadvocate.com/this _weeks_issue/news/?content_id=3848
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
By Lorne Bell
Jewish Advocate , MA
Oct 18 2007
Many in local community stand behind support for recognition
Amid frenzied debate at the local, national and international levels,
the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee voted on Oct. 10 to officially
recognize the Ottoman Empire's World War I massacre of Armenians as
genocide. The non-binding House Resolution 106, which will now move
to the full House for vote, prompted Turkey to immediately recall
its ambassador to the U.S., and has elicited concerns from Israeli
and American officials about the impact on relations with the Turkish
government.
"[Relations with Turkey] are very important for Israel," said Nadav
Tamir, consul general of Israel to New England. "Israel was out of
the debate."
Officials in the Bush administration and eight former secretaries of
state signaled their opposition to the resolution in advance of last
week's vote. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.),
the former secretaries wrote that the passage of HR-106 "would endanger
our national security interests."
While the measure appeared as if it would quickly pass through
the House, nearly a dozen House members - from both parties - have
withdrawn their support for the resolution as of Wednesday, according
to the New York Times.
But while government officials are worried about the consequences
of offending Turkey, a key ally in the Middle East, local Armenians
have praised the resolution, saying any fallout between Turkey and
the U.S. will be short-lived.
"These are knee-jerk, hysterical reactions," said Khatchig Mouradian,
editor of The Armenian Weekly, which is based in Watertown. "Turkey
is not a superpower and realizes full-well it needs the U.S."
Mouradian said this summer's controversy between Boston area Armenian
and Jewish communities and the Anti-Defamation League helped to
foster awareness of the issue. That controversy, which eventually
led the national ADL to recognize the Armenian genocide, saw several
Massachusetts towns cut ties with the ADL's No Place for Hate program
and the temporary firing of the organization's regional director,
Andrew Tarsy, who publicly dissented from the national position.
"The local controversy did not directly affect the resolution, but
on an educational level, it was immensely important," said Mouradian.
But political relations with Turkey were not the only concerns voiced
by opponents of the resolution. Concerns about the safety of Jews
worldwide also played a role in the ADL's initial reluctance to
recognize the massacre as genocide.
In a full-page advertisement in the Washington Post last week,
the Jewish community of Turkey asked Congress to defeat the House
resolution. The Turkish Foreign Ministry praised the nation's Jews
for opposing what it called an "unjust and erroneous" resolution.
Any reprisal by Turkey against Jewish interests should serve as a wake
up call to American and Jewish alliances with the republic, according
to James Russell, professor of Armenian Studies at Harvard University.
"If Turkey responds by blaming the Jews for this when it's fairly
obvious that the Jewish community was cautious - if not overly cautious
- then all it proves is how shaky that friendship with Turkey is,"
said Russell.
Still, the ADL has continued to oppose a congressional resolution,
calling such measures "counterproductive." And others have questioned
the wisdom of the local community's support for the resolution since
Armenia is aligned with countries that are antagonistic to Israel,
like Iran and Syria, while Turkey is a strategic ally.
Grand Rabbi Y. A. Korff cautioned this summer that the local community
may be weighing in on a situation in which it cannot make the most
informed decision. In a statement to the Advocate, the Rebbe said
that diplomatic fallout with Turkey was inevitable.
"By taking the high moral ground, doing what is 'right' for others, and
sacrificing pragmatic support for ourselves, we have once again shot
ourselves in the foot for something which, after all, doesn't really
have much, if any, practical consequence anyway," said the Rebbe.
But the resolution's affect on international relations should not
trump moral obligation, according to Nancy K. Kaufman, executive
director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston,
who has been a staunch supporter of the resolution.
"We are always concerned for the safety of Jews and we are also
vigilant about the [importance of] Turkish-Israeli and Turkish-U.S.
relations," said Kaufman. "These concerns must be taken seriously,
but they cannot be an excuse for genocide denial."
With Turkey recalling its ambassadors to the U.S., the fate
of American military bases in Turkey is a pressing concern for
U.S. officials. Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Ali
Babacan told the Jerusalem Post last week that Turkish ties with
Israel as well as the U.S. would suffer if the resolution passed.
But despite looming political fallout for the U.S. and the Jewish
state, Tarsy, ADL regional director, defended the organization's
decision to recognize the genocide.
"There obviously continue to be complicated political issues on the
table," said Tarsy. "The hope in all of this is for recognition of
the very difficult history [in Turkey] and for reconciliation. I
think that's everyone's hope."
http://www.thejewishadvocate.com/this _weeks_issue/news/?content_id=3848
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress