With eye on Turkey, Israel debates Armenia deaths

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With eye on Turkey, Israel debates Armenia deaths

Aron Heller - The Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli parliament debated Tuesday whether to recognize the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks 100 years ago as genocide, a move that would enrage Turkey and further strain already tense ties between the two countries.

For years, Israel has refrained from taking up the issue for fear of angering Turkey, which until recently was its closest ally in the Muslim world. But as ties have frayed under the Islamic-oriented rule of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, that has changed.

No vote was taken Tuesday. Parliamentary speaker Reuven Rivlin denied the debate was related to the deteriorating ties with Turkey.

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June 13, 2012

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6 readers comments


1. Nicholas Kostopoulos wrote on June 13, 2012 9:52 AM	If the Turks don't like it they can go to hell. In my mind and in a lot of people present day Turkey is slowly becoming a radical Moslem state. They as a Moslem state will have to dealt with in the near future, before it becomes to radicalized. This will help to make the Med. a much safer and happier place.

2. Niko Seretis wrote on June 14, 2012 10:28 PM	I can't believe the double standard of certain nations. Recognizing the Armenian holocaust is every nations duty. Too bad if the Turks get offended. This was their doing. They caused it and they should be held accountable. I hope the Israelis finally do what's right and stand up to the Turkish bullies who pretend to be westernized while hiding behind their headscarfs.

3. Philip Vorgias wrote on June 14, 2012 10:32 PM	The Israelis should be ashamed for having let their relationship with Turkey trump the ethical responsibility of acknowledging what happened to a million Armenians. They of all people should have been the FIRST nation to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

4. Aristide Caratzas wrote on June 15, 2012 2:49 AM	And as we are discussing the Armenians, we should all remember that Greeks (Ionian, Pontian and Anatolian) and Assyrians also were targets of the same genocide; just some basic numbers: in 1912 there were 4-5 million Christians in Asia Minor & Thrace, in 1923 less than 300,000 remained. It is particularly egregious that we Greeks (and Greek-Americans, Greek-Canadians etc) have have not made the effort to have these crimes recognized.

5. Dionysios Markopoulos wrote on June 15, 2012 9:33 AM	Valid point Aristede.

6. Niko Seretis wrote on June 15, 2012 11:21 AM	If they Armenian genocide is recognized the recognition of the genocide of the Greeks of Asia Minor should be next. This is another atrocity by the Turks that the Greek Diaspora is sweeping under the rug. Aristide makes a good point.
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