ASTARJIAN: TRICK OR TREAT? A HISTORIC HALLOWEEN!
By: Dr. Henry Astarjian
Tue, Oct 11 2011
It is a historic political Halloween!
It was disappointing, all right: How a nation that has suffered so
much by the hands of Europe and the Nazis, that lost six million of
its children to the Holocaust, could be so callous as to deny the
Armenian Genocide in order to serve its disingenuous policies.
This year a pumpkin was delivered early to us via Tel Aviv in the
form of a smiley lantern showing its teeth. Some sixty years after its
founding, Israel, pursuing its own interests, is “Trick-or-Treating”
us by considering acknowledging the Armenian Genocide which claimed
the lives of a million and a half Armenians slaughtered by the Turks,
Ottoman and Republican, governments and civilians alike in 1915-1923.
For them it was and is a hard pill to swallow, since they have always
been concerned that:
1) our Genocide might compete with their Holocaust,
2) it might anger the Turks, who then may retaliate by jeopardizing
the safety of their own 25,000 Jews who live in Istanbul.
3) it might alienate their only Muslim ally in the neighborhood-
Turkey, thereby increasing their vulnerability in a hostile territory,
4) it might be counter to American foreign policy which is based
on NATO’s pseudo-partnership with Turkey, thus tilting the balance
of influence in favor of Iran.
A variety of other reasons, each is being enough to justify their
stance.
To be fair, some 120 Israeli Holocaust historians, but not the
government, have acknowledged the Armenian Genocide.
It was disappointing, all right: How a nation that has suffered so
much by the hands of Europe and the Nazis, that lost six million of
its children to the Holocaust, could be so callous as to deny the
Armenian Genocide in order to serve its disingenuous policies.
Not only did the state of Israel fail to recognize the Armenian
Genocide, but it actively lobbied against its recognition by the U.S.
Congress. It was clear that it was doing Turkey’s dirty work, a
conduct unbecoming a nation which claims to be taking the high road
in its political conduct.
It is a fact, unless my eyes and ears deceive me, that former Prime
Minister of Israel Shimon Perez, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate,
stood on the steps of Chankaya Palace next to then-Turkish president
Suleyman Demirel and declared, “There is no such thing as Armenian
Genocide.” Ironically he was standing on the porch of a mansion built
and owned by a wealthy Armenian jeweler, Ohannes Kasabian, who, with
his family, was evicted from his home, deported and killed during
the genocide, and the mansion converted to the presidential kiosk
by Ataturk himself. Yes-He was standing on the steps of a genocide
victim’s mansion when he made that statement.
Israel’s active blockades of the Genocide resolutions in Congress
are exemplified by its concerted efforts, commissioned by Turkey
and implemented by Israel’s AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs
Committee) to defeat the bills which had passed Committee.
Israel’s surrogate the Anti Defamation League (ADL) headed by Abe
Foxman fought tooth and nail to antagonize our efforts for passage
of Genocide recognition bill in the United States. Some of the ADL
chapters, answering to their conscience distanced themselves from
this arrogant denialist.
Israel’s efforts continued until such time that being Turkey’s
sub-contractor charged with cleaning Turkey’s political sewers, was
no longer profitable for them. Suddenly they realized that Turkey was
trick-or- treating them and the world. Turkey’s trick was the radical
change of polity looking East, which victimized Israel. The eight year
old AK Islamist party in power turned its back on Kemalism which was
a garb two-sizes-too-big for the reactionary fanatic Islamist Turkish
society. The move exposed the real color of Turkey.
Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, had to prove his Islamic
credentials and claim the mantle of the Ottoman Caliphate.
Muslims, globally, are mandated to liberate Jerusalem, the third,
some say the second, holiest city of Islam, which is not under their
control now. Turkey being a Muslim country heading towards fanaticism,
and through it to hegemony, could not help but champion the cause.
Furthermore, Palestine was part of the Ottoman Empire and was gingerly
kept under the auspices of the holy Caliphate. Its return to their
fold was and is a part of the AK agenda. Jerusalem was once liberated
by Muslims under the command of Saladin, a historic event which still
inspires the Muslim masses, today.
With the last election victory, AK and Recep Tayyib Erdogan managed
to claim the Arab and Islamic mantle of leadership. He has selectively
visited Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa to fortify
his newfound political and strategic gains, through it all waving
his Muslim ID. Recently he spoke to the Syrian government in support
of the Shari’a guided Muslim Brotherhood group which, as it stands,
are persecuted by the Assad dynasty.
Some Arab intellectuals considering his stance and actions as a
prelude to spreading Turkey’s Sunni and ethnic hegemony over the
region, especially in competition with Shiite Iran, resented Erdogan’s
prominence in the Islamic Arab world.
Erdogan’s hostilities towards Israel surfaced at the Davos Economic
Forum meeting in 2009. There, he had verbal skirmishes with Shimon
Perez who appeared to be given the lion’s share of the allocated time
shortchanging Erdogan, after which he left the meeting in protest.
As part of his strategy Erdogan launched a frontal assault on Israel.
Under the pretext of delivering humanitarian aid to the people of
Gaza, his government managed to precipitate a showdown with Israel by
planning and creating the Mavi Marmara ship incident where some nine
Turks were killed in the clashes with the Israeli armed forces. It
is ironic that he is demanding reparations from Israel for the death
of nine Turks, while ignoring the slaughter of a million and a half
innocent women children and men in the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
Pursuing his championship of the Islamic world, he highlighted the
plight of Somali people in his United Nations speech, and blamed,
by inference, the U.S. for food distribution problems resulting in
famine, ignoring the fact that Somalis blocked our humanitarian aid
in the past.
Throughout the speech he highlighted the humanitarian motivations of
Turkey to help Somalia. Turkey had claimed the same while planning and
executing the death by starvation of hundreds of thousands Armenians
in the Syrian desert of Der Zor during the Genocide.
Distorting facts and telling lies characterizes Erdogan’s and his
government’s policies vis a vis Europe, the United States, Armenia,
Israel, Cyprus, and of course the Kurds.
The list is long. Turkey has tricked Israel and the West for so long,
that the veneer is now wearing, and Israel has decided to stand up
to the reality which it had consciously shelved for so long. It is
trying to recruit and exploit Armenians and Kurds to fight Turkey
in the public opinion arena. As a first step Israel is planning on
meeting with Armenians of Diaspora.
Armenians should welcome what serves their interests best, regardless
of the source. For us it is a historic “Trick or Treat” time.
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2011/10/11/astarjian-trick-or-treat-a-historic-halloween/