FOIA request
for information on agreements and commitments undertaken by the State of Israel
vis-a-vis Turkey and Azerbaijan as
to not recognizing the Armenian genocide
On April 24 1915, in the midst of WWI, the rulers of
the collapsing Ottoman Empire began the annihilation of the Armenian people. In
less than four years, after 2,400 years in which Armenians lived and thrived
within the region between the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea and the Mediterranean
Sea, hardly any Armenians remained. More than a million were murdered and the
survivors were scattered all over the world. Men, women and children were sent
on “death marches”, detained in concentration camps, raped and murdered. News
on the genocide was published by newspapers in the US and Europe as it was
happening.
US Ambassador in Istanbul at the time, Henry
Morgenthau, tried to help the Armenians and lessen, if only slightly, the
extent of the atrocities. Sarah and Aharon Aaronsohn, Eitan Belkind and other
members of the Nili group witnessed the events and their hearts told them a
hidden thread connected the fate of the Armenians and the fate of the Jews.
Franz Werfel, a German writer of Jewish descent, learned of what happened to
the Armenians and published his book "Forty Days of Musa Dagh" in
Germany in November 1933, ten months after Hitler's rise to power.
The Turkish state which was founded in 1923, was
determined to forget and cast into oblivion this terrible episode in Turkish
history. In 1965, after descendants of the Armenian refugees in the diaspora
began to demand international and Turkish recognition of the genocide, Turkey
embarked on an extensive and resolute denial campaign. Similarly, and in view
of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia as to the Nagorno-Karabakh
province, Azerbaijan has become Turkey’s partner in leading the denial of the
Armenian genocide.
Unfortunately, in spite of the existence of an
Armenian community in Israel and in spite of a continuous public, academic and
political campaign, the Armenian genocide has not been recognized by the State
of Israel.
Prima facie, it seems that the official Israeli denial
of the Armenian genocide is tied to its diplomatic and military relations with
Turkey, and in recent years to the relations with Azerbaijan. Turkey and Azerbaijan have purchased from
Israel military training and weapon systems worth billions of USD.
Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman, former Deputy
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Danny Ayalon, former Chairman of the Knesset Education
Committee, MK Alex Miller, as well as additional MK's from 'Israel Beitenu'
party clarified unequivocally that the State of Israel would not recognize the
Armenian genocide so as not to harm relations with Azerbaijan, over controversial historical issues concerning century-long events.
Their arguments remind those of holocaust deniers.
Under these circumstances, one suspects that not only
does the State of Israel “trade” in the recognition of the Armenian genocide,
but that it has also taken upon itself real commitments on this matter, in
agreements with Azerbaijan and Turkey.
This is why together with the genocide scholar
Professor Yair Auron, we asked the Israeli
Ministry of Foreign Affairs to expose to the public: Any documentation of
agreements, understandings, commitments vis-a-vis Azerbaijan and Turkey as to
the question of recognizing the Armenian genocide; Any correspondence with
Turkish or Azeri representatives on the question of recognizing the Armenian
genocide; Any documentation of meetings or communications between
representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Turkish or Azeri
representatives on the question of recognizing the Armenian genocide; Decisions
and position papers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as to the question of
recognizing the Armenian genocide, in view of Turkey and Azerbaijan's objection.
Link to the
FOIA request:
https://files.acrobat.com/a/preview/0d4ff53b-02eb-4e0f-b3ef-5438b1dd5fc0
Also see Yaïr Auron's book
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