Newsweek: Israel faces pressure to emulate Biden and recognize the “genocide” of Armenians

Newsweek said ( News week , ) American Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces mounting pressure to ignore the Turkish protests and proceeded to follow , including the administration of President Joe Biden , by recognizing the events of 1915 bloody as “genocide” against the Armenians.

Biden’s “historic” recognition of these events as “genocide” made the United States the 30th country in the world to take this step to describe the killings and displacement that historians estimate claimed the lives of about one million Armenians and hundreds of thousands of other minorities at the hands of the Ottoman Empire during the war. First world.

While Turkey – the heir to the Ottoman Empire in the modern era – says that about 300 thousand Armenians died in that period as a result of the civil war and internal unrest that led to the collapse of Ottoman rule, and that in addition to the Christian Armenians, many Muslim Turks also died.

The magazine believes that despite its “deep links” to the killing of more than 6 million Jews and other minorities in what is known as the “Jewish Holocaust” or “the Holocaust” during World War II, Israel did not recognize the “genocide” of the Armenians, nor She is still unable to do that to this day.

Although the Israeli Foreign Ministry expressed sympathy with the Armenian dead and displaced, commenting on the recent American recognition, Netanyahu’s reluctance to take the next step has prompted calls from even some of Israel’s most enthusiastic supporters to adopt a new approach that closely resembles that of the United States.

David Harris, head of the American Jewish Committee – an influential Jewish organization in the United States – confirms that his organization has encouraged Israeli leaders to think carefully about the American move, believing that the act of recognition must take place even if its result is fueling tensions with a strong regional player such as Turkey.

He added, “It is not easy for Tel Aviv, because Ankara is playing a difficult game, and it has announced very clearly that any such step may lead to a costly response that affects basic Israeli interests, which is not easy to exclude or omit.”

Despite the difficulty of the task – Newsweek adds – Netanyahu’s political opponents continued their calls for the adoption of a new policy regarding the recognition of the “genocide” of Armenians, despite the state of political deadlock in Israel. Advertising

Yair Lapid, a member of the Knesset and leader of the center-right “There is a future” party – one of Netanyahu’s biggest competitors – described Biden’s declaration as an “important moral statement,” pledging to “continue the struggle for Israel’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” considering that “our moral responsibility.” As a Jewish state. “

Lapid’s spokesman also renewed this position – in a statement sent to Newsweek – indicating that the opposition leader also proposed a bill in the Knesset to achieve this goal, saying, “Yair Lapid believes that preventing what happened never recurs is a moral imperative that requires recognition of the past and an obligation to prevent atrocities in the future”.

Erase history

In turn, left-wing Knesset member Tamar Zandberg responded to Biden’s confession statement, saying, “It is time for Israel to distance itself from political interests and work for basic justice and recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The Jewish state cannot put its hand in the hands of those trying to erase history.”

Gideon Sa’ar – another major opponent of Netanyahu and the leader of the Likud splinter “New Hope” party – also expressed support for the recognition of the “genocide” of Armenians.

Former Labor Party member Nahman Shai – who traveled to the Armenian capital Yerevan in 2015 as part of an Israeli delegation that attended the celebration of the centenary of the 1915 massacres – called on Israel to change its stance in this regard.

He says, “Israel must reconsider its position, and as a Jewish people, we must recognize the genocide of the Armenian people during the First World War. For years, Israel evaded declaring this position clearly and loudly, especially because of our close relations with Turkey, and later with Azerbaijan.”

And he adds, “The Biden administration’s decision should pave the way for Israel to follow it. This new position makes it easier for us.”