Israeli-American scholar Israel W. Charny has called on the Israeli government to recognise its failure of denying the Armenian genocide due to pressure from Turkey, the Jerusalem Post reported on Monday.
Ankara pressured Israel into denyingthe killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 as an act of genocide, the Jerusalem Post cited Charny as saying in his new book“Israel’s failed response to the Armenian genocide: denial, state deception, truth versus politicization of history,’’ published this year.
Turkey denies the accusations of genocide, saying hundreds of thousands of Armenians and Turks died in clashes after ethnic Armenians in Turkey sided with Russia in the war. It says any killing was not systematic or orchestrated and has strongly objected to all attempts at recognition internationally.
Turkey’s pressure tactics on Israel included failing to mention the Armenian genocide, prohibiting Armenians in genocide-related conferences and cancelling conferences if Armenians were present, according to Charmy.
Moreover, Ankara also objected to Israel discussing the Armenian genocide, with Israel complying with these demands and Ankara going so far as threatening Turkish Jews if these requests were not met.
The argument for the denial of the Armenian genocide was used to maintain Israel’s relationship alongside Turkey and Azerbaijan based on pressure from Ankara towards Israel, according to Charny.
Ahval