Israel's non-recognition of Armenian Genocide "betrayal" - Jewish scholar

PanARMENIAN.Net - A prominent researcher of the Holocaust has weighed in on Israel's failure to recognize the Armenian Genocide in a a recent radio interview.

A bill seeking the recognition of the Genocide submitted to the Israeli Knesset was recently withdrawn, reportedly due to lack of support from the coalition.

The coalition allegedly intends to advance a similar bill avoiding the term "genocide" and calling the murder of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915-1923 a "tragedy."

In late May, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein postponed a debate and vote on recognizing the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Empire, the forerunner of modern Turkey, because a majority of the Knesset would not have voted to support the recognition. In mid-May, the Knesset approved a request by the left-wing Meretz party to hold a Knesset debate and a vote on the issue.

Prof. Yehuda Bauer, academic adviser to the Yad Vashem state museum on the Holocaust in Jerusalem, said , in particular, that the fact that the Israeli parliament has not recognized the Armenian Genocide as such is “betrayal”.