Public figure: Holocaust survivors mustn't use Genocide for political gainOctober 28, 2013 - 15:30 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The head of Ararat Armenian Community of Israel slammed the statement by the leader of the Association of Turkish Jews in Israel who urged Turkey to normalize ties with Israel before the centennial of the Genocide, or risk the Jewish lobby to “stay neutral” on that issue. In his Facebook post, David Galfayan panned certain Israeli officials for lacking courage to face the "big brother," Turkey in recognizing the 1915 Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. "Instead, Israel is turning the tragedy of 1,5 million people into a tool for political gain in achieving their petty goals," Galfayan said. Galafyan slammed the Israeli politicians for an attempt to "preserve a monopoly" to the biggest tragedy of the 20th century: "a nation that survived the Holocaust cannot use the memory of 1,5 million victims to play political games with Turkey." "Remember, those who do not speak up against the crime become accomplices to it," Galfayan stressed in his harshly-worded statement. Earlier, speaking to Today’s Zaman, the leader of the Association of Turkish Jews in Israel Zali De Toledo said : “As 2015 is approaching, Turkey should take into account its interests and should normalize relations with Israel by appointing an ambassador to Israel as soon as possible. If both countries miss the opportunity to mend the ties, the Israeli lobby will likely stay neutral when 2015 comes.” De Toledo told Today’s Zaman that she had done her utmost to pressure the Israeli lobby in the U.S. to refrain from labeling mass killings of Armenians at the hands of the Ottomans in 1915 as Genocide, adding: “I was the strongest supporter of the Turkish position. And now I am really disappointed to see Turkish-Israeli relations at this point.” The Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. |