DISCUSSION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION ISSUE EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE AT KNESSET
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 13 2007
TEL AVIV, MARCH 13, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Historian Georgette
Avagian, one of leaders of Israel’s Hay Dat Committee, expressed a
hope during an interview to Radio Liberty that the Meres Party will
raise the issue of recognition of the Armenian Genocide at the Knesset
on March 14.
"I hope that if the resolution is not passed this time, next time it
will be passed without fail," she stated.
Georgette Avagian and Hakob Sevian of Israel’s Hay Dat Committee will
go to the Knesset on March 13 to get prepared for the vote expected
to take place next day.
Israeli mass madia has not responded so far because members of the
Meres Party, which has 6 deputies in the Knesset, meet separately
with MPs and make no public statements.
Deputies representing Arab parties at the Knesset have declined to
participate in the vote on the Armenian Genocide issue: "They said:
"We understand you but Turkey is an Islamic country."
In all likelihood the Israel-Turkey and Israel-Azerbaijan
interparliamentary friendship groups functioning in the Knesset will
either prevent the issue’s discussion or vote against. There are
also Russian-speaking deputies – immigrants from Baku who ofter make
anti-Armenian statements in the Israeli press.
An Israel-Armenia interparliamentary friendship group headed by Ze
Velkin, member of the ruling Kadima Party, functions in the Knesset.
The supreme legislative body of Israel last made an attempt to put
the Armenian Genocide’s issue to the vote in 2002.