Almost one month after the adoption of the resolution recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide in the German Bundestag, on July 5, the Israeli parliament will discuss the Armenian Genocide issue. This information was conveyed to the media recently by famous genocide expert Yair Auron. In an interview with Aravot.am on this subject, expert on Arabic studies Armen Petrosyan first stated that the recognition of the Armenian Genocide in Israel is usually marked on the days preceding April 24 but no such a thing happened this year, “The reason is that there was quite an active process of normalization of Israeli-Turkish relations. To avoid ruining it and the parties eventually come to a reconciliation, also a traditional launching of the Armenian Genocide recognition process took place by the instructions of the authorities.”
Referring to the expected discussion, Armen Petrosyan said that it cannot have any serious impact on raising the issue, “Presumably, a general discussion will be held in Knesset, if of course, it takes place, then the discussion of the issue might be instructed to any parliamentary committee as it has been done in the past and the issue will remain in this framework.” As observed by Armen Petrosyan, the normalization of the Israeli-Turkish relations is in the initial phase, consequently, Israel will refrain from causing new problems with Turkey, as the parties were waiting for reconciliation for a long time, “I think that the discussion of the Armenian Genocide issue will be a formal process: in short and compressed procedure. When it was a turning point in the Turkish-Israeli relations, Israel was not preventing by the government level, on the contrary, it allowed to raise the issue at least by the campaign level, and they were trying to use it as a means of pressure against Turkey.”
As described by our interlocutor, since 2013 when the process of rapprochement between Turkey and Israel commenced, the Armenian Genocide recognition lost its political and campaign significance, “Almost every year, an attempt is made to raise this issue at the Israeli parliament but it does not get to the outcome. It is logical and presumable that this year it will be the same.”
Luiza SUKIASYAN
