Knesset unprepared to recognize Armenian Genocide, expert says

March 30, 2010 - 16:41 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Knesset has several times included the Armenian Genocide issue in its agenda, without any positive result, an Armenian expert said.

"Scientifically, all recognize the Armenian Genocide but everything changes when comes to politics. Israel will never recognize the Armenian Genocide, despite tensions with Turkey," Artak Grigoryan told a news conference in Yerevan.

"Armenia and Israel are on the opposite sides of the fence. Yerevan develops relations with Tehran while Tel Aviv is close to Ankara," he said.

At that, the expert did not rule out that Armenian and Jewish lobbies in the U.S. may find some common ground.

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.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.