Op-Eds
Genocide in Gaza, a media cover-up and our moral obligation
Over a year has passed since Israel began its military assault and siege in the Gaza Strip, which has been deemed by multiple human rights organizations and international agencies as a genocide.
More than 45,000 Palestinians have been killed, among whom 70% are women and children. Over 100,000 have been injured, with thousands of those injuries being life-altering, according to the United Nations. These numbers have remained stagnant over the past several months as health officials fail to
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In a small way Pashinyan expressed solidarity and distance from Israel by Armenia now recognising Palestine.
Such a heartbreaking reality. I love that there is a call to action and that the reader is urged to stand up for what is right! Very informative and well-written article.
Jane Partizpanyan is to be commended for this op-ed, which, to my knowledge, is only the second such article in the Armenian diaspora press written during the Gaza genocide of Palestinians. More: to my knowledge, not a single Armenian religious, cultural, educational and political institution has made a public statement about the Gaza genocide or initiated a humanitarian project. Among those absent voices, perhaps the most significant has been the silence of the multitude Armenian studies programs, especially those with a strong genocide studies component. Not a single Armenian scholar or program of genocide spoke up, initiated a petition, sought signatures. A cursory review of the scores of open letters by writers, academics, artists, and celebrities the world over revealed only a handful of Armenian-sounding names. All of which shows yet again that as a community, we look inward to our own troubled history, to “our genocide.” And there we stop. If it’s not ours, it’s not of urgency and importance. We engage in the cataclysmic events of the world only when we can snatch a bit of attention to our own suffering. We are absent from the world but complain loudly when the world pays no or little attention to our troubles. I don’t mean to suggest cynically that we must engage because of rewards in payback. We must engage because that is the right thing to do, especially for populations which have known displacement, ethnic cleansing, and genocide. Partizpanyan correctly urges the Armenian communities in the diaspora to take a stand, voice their concern, but that is the conclusion of her article, when the discussion could have been more generative if the article had also asked: Why are our institutions, including the Armenian studies programs, so docile, so absent from the public and ongoing debates about the Gaza genocide ?
Taline — In general I agree with the points you make here, but I would like to flag two articles that brilliantly speak out against the genocide in Gaza while linking it to the Armenian genocide and the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh. One is by historian Elyse Semerdjian and the other by writer, artist, and professor Mashinka Firunts Hakopian.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14623528.2024.2377871
https://socialtextjournal.org/periscope_article/where-scenes-of-catastrophe-reappear-on-armenian-and-palestinian-solidarities/
Nancy, thank you for pointing out the two articles about the Gaza genocide, both of which speak of connectivities and solidarities. That is good and necessary. The point I am making is a bit different, though: the necessity of speaking out for Gaza, centering it with our full attention and words.
This seems to be an Armenian trait. On matters not concerning Armenians, to stay silent and neutral hence not seen as interfering people yet when under attack call out in despair. It does mean that anti Armenianism isn’t a universal phenomenon quite unlike anti Semitism but a general indifference which cuts both ways as the saying goes. Perhaps recall the German pastor imprisoned by the Nazis who said i didn’t speak up communists, trade unionists , etc as i wasn’t one and then they came for me..
@Charles,
That is a misconception. That is not an Armenian trait at all. It may seem so to an outsider and that has a lot to do with the utter indifference with which the world communities have approached the Armenian issues thus making Armenians desensitized to the issues of others. Self-serving politics by those who have the power to address these issues plays a major role in how certain tragedies are handled as well. For example, the perpetrator of the Armenian Genocide Turkey being the only Muslim member state in the NATO Christian club has been treated not as a criminal state but as a “valuable” ally because Armenian territories under their occupation have been used as a buffer zone against the Russians. Morally-bankrupt and hypocritical Israeli leaders playing political Ping-Pong with the Armenian Genocide is another example. Every time the relations soured between Turkey and Israel, the Armenian Genocide issue became front and center for the Israeli leaders. As things began to cool down between the two the Armenian issue was shelved and forgotten. Last but not least, not even one Muslim country or nation, including Palestine, has officially and publically recognized the Armenian Genocide. The only exception to this is Lebanon which despite the fact that it is a Muslim majority state with a Sunni Muslim Prime Minister it is led by a Maronite Christian president. As it is evident in this case, it is to me anyhow, that adherence to a certain religion which the perpetrator of the Armenian Genocide Turkey is a member also takes precedence over justice for the victims. I think when you take all these into account, the picture becomes much clearer why Armenians act the way they do!
@ Ararat, In Armenian rallies in various countries the Armenian and the national flag has featured apart from sometimes seeing a Greek flag other national flags of others in solidarity seems most scarce. In turn it’s extremely unlikely to see an Armenian flag amongst rallies for other causes. Thus staying out of others affairs seems to be a watchword and in some ways this serves Armenians well being deemed benign and not interfering people as i stated earlier and thus anti Armenianism is not a universal phenomenon. If not prepared to offer support to others it’s hard to garner support from them. There is cynical saying “i don’t go to other people’s funerals because they won’t be coming to mine.” NATO is hardly a Christian club, it’s never acted in a Christian cause at all indeed precisely the opposite cleaving off Kosovo from Serbia to create a Muslim nation! If anything the organisation is considered pro Zionist, masonic, teutonist in that being English led USA and UK taking over from Germany as the Teutonist anti Russia power. The Muslim population of members has increased exponentialy since it was founded. It’s avid support for Ukraine against Russia in what is in many ways Christians fighting eachother with Muslims on both sides and Jews on their own side. Either way the conflict there is certainly not advancing Christianity but aggravating schisms. Turkey although secular or certainly was more so in 1952 which was brought on by the Soviet Union sellers regrets and agitations over Kars and frustration over the Bosphorus. Indeed the botched actions worsened relations between Armenians and Azeris. Confirmed the loss of Kars and put the genocide issue aside in the USA until 2021 when strained relations between USA and Turkey led to the USA recognised it which sadly hasn’t encouraged other nations to follow suit. Remember due to its internationalism nonsense the Soviet Union didn’t recognise the Armenian genocide and only with the slipping of central authority was Armenian SSR able to recognise the killings as a genocide! The first nation to do so was Uruguay in 1966. As Muslim countries attitude some fools in the west assume it was a Muslim crime but this is unjust since the Arabs refused to participate and became a refuge such as Lebanon and Syria and the Iranians sent diplomats to assist in sanctuary and Kurds did plunder and participate but would also hide and adopt Armenians. Remember Iran and Egypt were sovereign but the rest were British or French protectorates thus didn’t have a national policy. Hence later on it just wasn’t a priority in Muslim countries to annoy Turkey for the sake of a Christian population killed and banished decades before. Needless to say plenty of Christian countries don’t recognise the near destruction of the first Christian nation as a genocide. Obviously post 1948 the Palestine cause became more primary issue although mainly for rhetoric. Syria did recognise the killings as a genocide with the collapse of relations with Turkey over the civil war it will be interesting to see if the pro Turkey regime continues with this along with recognition of Russian annexations of parts of Ukraine. Eastern government of Libya does recognise due its conflict with Turkey who support the government in Tripoli. For so long after independence Armenia persued a flawed and inept policy of not recognising Palestine vainly trying to seek common cause with Israel over it’s own genocide of kindred people and claiming it couldn’t recognise Palestine because no nation recognised Arktash but then since Armenia never did (another story!) it could hardly expect others to do for it what it wouldn’t do for itself… Other reasons being we have more trade with Israel than Palestine and the concerns about the Armenian community in Israel. The fact that neighbours Georgia and Azerbaijan recognised Palestine as soon as they got the chance in 1992 and it didn’t affect their relationship with Israel as it appears, was until recently it seems quite overlooked by Armenia. Indeed on Reddit posters in defence of until 2024 government policy claimed no economic case , they don’t recognise Arktash , don’t want to antagonise Israel, seeking solidarity over genocide ..
The US could end this today by cutting off aid to Israel.
Yes,Jane’s article proves the truth that we Armenian-Americans need to be on the right side of history We must speak out against the crime of Genocide Israel is not our friend and their hypocrisy about what happend in 1915is well known!.
Thank you, Jane, for this eloquent piece linking the Armenian and Palestinian struggles. The genocide in Gaza and the propaganda campaign being waged against the truth of what is happening there have been cruel and dehumanizing for Palestinians and for those who stand in solidarity with them. It’s so important for Armenians as individuals and as a community to speak out.
Have a lot of respect for the author, Jane, to write about the Palestinian suffering and their current situation which could become a completed genocide if nothing is done to stop Israel.
This article is spot on. As the co chair of the ANC of Maine it was my responsibility to speak out about the injustices that have fueled the conflict in Israel/Palestine for the last 100 years. We should speak out whereever and whenever we see injustice. This 650 word op ed appeared in the Portland Press Herald in February 2024.
https://www.pressherald.com/?p=7265194
Since this article was written the number of murdered and injured Palestinian civilians has likely doubled.
The individuals condoning, aiding and abetting the current Genocide in Gaza (as recently characterized by Amnesty International) must view the people in Gaza as subhuman. In that respect they are following the same ideology of Nazis and Klansmen, the only difference being that their hatred is directed against Palestinians. It seems odd, but I would have to characterize Jewish supremacists like Israel’s Minister of Security Itamar Ben-Gvir and Israel’s Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich as Jewish Nazis. After their time here on earth comes to and end, they will become neighbors of Adolf Hitler.