Armenians have good reason to be offended by the Israeli government’s failure to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. It is unconscionable that some victims of the Holocaust can be so insensitive about those who suffered a similar fate. Israel’s callous denial has been motivated by its unethical desire to appease Turkey—its “strategic ally.”
Dr. Israel Charny, like so many Israeli citizens, vehemently opposes his government’s shameful stand on the Armenian Genocide. He is the longtime director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem and former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS). On numerous occasions, Charny has taken a strong stand against Israeli officials, rebuking them for their deplorable position on the genocide.
Earlier this year, the president of Armenia awarded Charny a presidential medal and a $10,000 prize for his lifelong efforts to champion recognition of the genocide.
Since Charny did not have the opportunity to make a speech during the award ceremony in Yerevan, I wish to present key excerpts from his prepared remarks:
“Denials of genocide are very unfair, unjust, and ugly. They are also extremely dangerous not only to the victim people, but to our human civilization. Denials of genocide are disgusting attempts to humiliate the victim people once more, and hurtful reopening of wounds of stigmatizing and persecuting the victim people once again.
“Moreover, denials of genocide are also loud and clear affirmations of the legitimacy of violence; they are retroactive justifications of the specific violent killing that was done in the genocide; and they are warnings and calls for renewal of violence—whether towards the same victim people or to other peoples. In fact, it has become clear that denials of genocide often are messages from the deniers that they are already engaged in or preparing to be violent once again.
“It is not at all by chance that [Turkish Prime Minister] Erdogan in the last year twice has threatened to expel 100,000 Armenians from Turkey; and it is not at all by chance that Erdogan’s Turkey—a regime that is bizarrely devoted to denials of the Armenian Genocide—continues to be violent towards the Kurdish people who have suffered thousands of destroyed villages, tens of thousands of dead, and who are frequently not allowed by the Turkish government to use their language or celebrate their culture.
“Israel has been attempting to have a good relationship with Turkey very much at the expense of the truth of the Armenian Genocide. I am convinced this policy has been deeply wrong. Of course, I do not believe that nations—especially small ones—can afford not to evaluate political realities and security risks, but I think that in the long run there must be limits to the extent of realpolitik and that denials of the history of a genocide are beyond the limit that should be acceptable.
“I cannot take leave without a further reference to the state of Israel’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Israel has been entirely wrong in not recognizing the Armenian Genocide. At the same time, thank heaven I have been able to say now for many years that we have won the battle for recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Israeli culture, our media, and in our public. When a few years ago a delegation of four of us—Prof. Yair Auron, Prof. Yehuda Bauer, Former Minister Yossi Sarid, and myself—came to lay wreaths at the Armenian Genocide Memorial [in Yerevan, Armenia], we indeed represented our larger Israeli society.
“At this very writing we have been informed that the Knesset will hold a major hearing on recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The overall Knesset has already voted—now for the third time in Israeli history—to hold hearings on possible recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Each of these votes has represented some progress towards our goal. In the Israeli system a proposal then has to be reviewed and decided by a major committee of the Knesset. Politics are not simple, as you know, and our opponents have succeeded in the past in defeating the recognition at this level.
“This time the proposal will go to the Committee on Education where, unlike proceedings in the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security where a proposal even can be buried without any discussion at all and no one knows what happened, discussion and voting in the Education Committee will be publicly known to us. My closest colleagues and I have not been too hopeful of success, but now there is more possibility of success than we previously estimated. In truth, the possibility of recognition is greater now that Turkey has shown its vicious side to Israel, and there are many of us who will be ashamed if we now achieve recognition for this reason rather than on the basis of a real correction of Israel’s error all these years.”
As Israeli journalist Raphael Ahren accurately pointed out in a recent Haaretz article: “If Israel recognizes the Turkish genocide of over 1 million Armenians in the near future, it may be largely due to the decades long efforts of American-born scholar Israel Charny.”
Harut Sassounian
For two decades, the Israel lobby in the US was feeding the wolf … now the wolf has grown and is coming back to eat them.
When will the Israel lobby (AJC, JINSA, ADL and AIPAC) stop supporting Turkey’s denial of its crime of genocide of 1.5 million Armenians and stop blocking the US Congress from passing a resolution to acknowledge it? And, when will the State of Israel do the right thing and acknowledge the Armenian genocide?
The world doesn’t take seriously what American Jewish leaders have to say about the 6 million Jews killed during World War II, not when it sees the same Jewish leaders lobby the US Congress against acknowledging the Genocide of Armenians and quite everyone over the murders of 1.5 million other innocents.
Raphael Lemkin, a lawyer of Polish-Jewish descent and Holocaust survivor, coined the word “genocide” specifically to describe the barbarity that befell the Armenians at the hands of the Turkish State. Dr. Lemkin explained that the Turks committed genocide with the full intent to annihilate; he added “I became interested in genocide because it happened so many times, first to the Armenians, then after the Armenians, Hitler took action.” – CBS News Interview 1949.
The inscriptions from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington reads, “Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” – Adolf Hitler on the eve of the invasion of Poland and destruction of European Jewry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hitler_Armenian_Quote.JPG
We cannot help but ask ourselves, had the world community used its full energy and resources to speak out against the Armenian Genocide, might the world have become more aware and more forcibly interceded against the destruction of European Jewry during the time of the Nazis?
When will Israel acknowledge the Genocide of Armenians?
Rabbi Hillel said it best, “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?”
” like so many Israeli citizens, vehemently opposes his government’s shameful stand on the Armenian Genocide. ”
oh please, who are you kidding. israel is the most selfish “country” on earth.
I disagree, Mr. Sassounian. TURKEY deserves much credit should Israel recognize the genocide. But I humbly suggest you don’t hold you breath.
Many of us know that Israel Charney is not only a brilliant scholar, but also a long time supporter of Armenian Genocide recognition. He is a highly principled man who cannot be swayed from the call for justice. Why did Charney “…not have the opportunity to make a speech during the award ceremony in Yerevan,” as this article states? Thank you, Harut, for at least giving us excerpts from his prepared remarks.
We Armenians are never surprise, if some nations from Mongolia, Madagascar, island, or other places, don’t understand our pain and suffering. But we are very disappointed (and offended) from the people who suffered holocaust and demand justice for them, but disregard justice for Armenian nation to recognize Armenian genocide. Is that fair? Of course No. and
That is what make entire Armenian nation angry about Israel.
Mr. Sassounian, I could not expect such a low-quality analysis from You!
Do not forget that beginning in the 10th century and continuing until the 19th century, some Jewish authorities considered Armenians to be Amalekites, although Armenians never in history attacked, destructed, or otherwise harmed the Jews.
My viewpoint is rather Euro -style, so to say. Before I say it ,may I just confirm what we all know that they -Israel-should have been the first to acknolwedge and uphold it .
They did not do it. People like Israel Charney ,just ,honest and rightfull have long advocated for Israel to do so,but the Stsate of Israel has not so far.
Viewpoint now;:
BE NON COMMITTAL and wait. If they do it then Armenians have a much better chance of having the Anglo-Americans,New Zealanders, Australians jumping on the wagon and officially acknowledgeing it,thus paving the path to CONDEMNING great Turkey at long last.
These days ,it seems there is a leniency towards our CAUSE…
president Sarkozy of France´s ofdficial visit to Armenia,for two days, while only a couple of hours or so neighbouring Geporgia and Azerbaijan may prove to be more than that. For instance, the Law that punishes deniers of the Armenian Genocide-still pending approval at Frrance´s Senate, may in near future pass,to begin with.
On the other hand today Iran has sharply criticized Turkey. Mr. Asad of Syria has told great Turkey off,saying ¨we shall not allow you to chief over us…to that effect.
Looks like we are in for some chaanges of attitudes by powers to be and neighbours alike,towards a country that by far has been proved to be disliked by many nations/states. It only remains to be seen when the aforermentioned¨allies¨ will by and by come to realize that if too many dislike them,there must be something wrong!!!
Sarkozy is of Jewish faith, and if Sarkozy was in Armenia for two days then it seems as though the Jewish State is actually beginning to come around to be on our side. I love Mr. Charney though and his his righteous stand all these times, good for him for he’s more than a good man. It would be something if Israel will finally stand on our side then the West shall also. That’s a true statement and for a change after almost a hundred years to have our rights returned to us FINALLY! It would be something for us to see, I am hopeful!
I AM VERY MUCH PLEASED TO SEE THAT MY ABOVE SPECULATION TURNED OUT TO BE A FAIT A COMPLIT…WHEN TODAY PRESIDENT SARKOZY IN YEREVAN AT THE MARTYRS MEMORIAL STATED MORE THAN WHAT I HAD VENTURED TO POST. HIS STATEMENT WAS:-
IF TURKEY DOES NOT RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY END OF YEAR…..
WE SHALL PASS THE ABOV DE LAW(PENDING RATIFICATION IN SENTATE),-WHICH STIPULATES-DENIERS OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE,-IN FRANCE THAT IS, I PRESUME, AT LEAST – WILL BE PUNISHED.
tHIS IS THE SAME TYPE LAW THAT WAS PASSED IN NEIGHBOURING SWITZERLAND A FEW YEARS AGO. DIFFERENCE BEING THAT L A F R A N C E IS CONSIDERED AS THE 5TH MAJOR SUPERPOWER AND HOPEFULLY OTHER SMALLER ONES WILL FOLLOW SUIT.
PLEASE NOTE the clear ADVERTENCIA,spanish,means more than a >¨notice being served¨ .It entails a bit of a WARNING …
Seervart,
Please note that Mr. Sarkozy is of Hungarian Origine and if his ancestors are or have been Jewish, France ,unlike some other countries honours all faiths and is tolerant.
Unless of course if some exaggerate their being of another faith. The official and also majority of the French are Christians of course and rooted theri over thousand years.
I ´m glad though-as you have also noted from my above post, that if Israel somehow recognizes our Genocide -and let us bear in mind-plus over a million Jewish pople in France and that many in U.K: or more,plus ten times that much in U.S. with their powerfull lobbies, then it is to be expected that the Anglo Saxon countries will follow suit. We should only be NON COMMITTAL and wait .
Mr. Sarkozy’s maternal grandfather is Jewish. He himself was raised Catholic.
In most cases, having a Jewish grandparent would dispose you positively to the ancestry of that grandparent. Same as if the grandparent was Armenian.
Le Figaro has claimed that Mr. Sarkozy was helping Israeli intelligence in his younger days. I don’t know if this in fact true.
In any case, France is a large, powerful country with a strong sense of French patriotism, a rich history, and strong France-centric tradition.
It has a long established foreign service and policy. It has very competent intelligence services, domestic and foreign. No one man, even Sarkozy, can do something that the French power structure does not want done. Same in USA, same in UK.
And regarding Israel’s possible recognition of the AG: I agree with Avetis. Mr. Charny is a Great man. But humanitarians do not make policy in any country. People with the raw power do. If recognition ever happens, the credit would be due entirely to the AK Party, Mr. Erdogan, and the Islamist awaking of Turkey. Any country that threatens Jews in Israel, will be threatened by the West (via its strong and wealthy Jewish diaspora).
And at the moment Turkey has turned from an ally of Israel to an adversary, and possible future enemy.
BTW Mr. Palandjian your figures for Jews are incorrect:
USA 5,300,000
France 480,000
UK 290,000
(as of 2010. source JEWISH PHILANTHROPY)
Armenians in France: about 500,000. (approximation form various sources)
Yes Gaytzag, I agree with you. We should simply wait until the bread falls into our lap, and I hope finally it does fall; because that bread is our “arunod tetkhemor”, it is our blood money and our very own Armenian soil. We shall wait and we shall see and I pray that we shall see that day!!!
As a Jeweler 40 years accounted many Jewish merchants all over the world, they
as educated people they believe and recognize the Armenian Genocide done by Turks.
You as a historical nation know how bad was the Holocaust, you felt on your
skins, and I feel very sorry for the Jewish victim families in Germany. My question
is, we using this issue as political bargaining chips on the table? Or take it
truthfully inhuman act toward humanity. We as humans we have to consider all
genocides as genocides, not the one that only happened to us. Armenian people
have great expectations from Israeli Government regarding this matter.