The California
Courier Online, January 18, 2024
1- Israel’s
Foreign Minister Tweets the Term Armenian
Genocide: ‘Too little, Too Late’
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher, California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- 2024 Rose
Parade: ‘Armenian Melodies’ Float Wins Grand Marshal Trophy
3- Teni
Melidonian Named Chief Oscars Officer
4- Armenia
Artsakh Fund, American Armenian Businessmen Coalition Deliver
$483,000 of Medicines, Medical Supplies to Lebanon
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1- Israel’s
Foreign Minister Tweets the Term
Armenian
Genocide: ‘Too little, Too Late’
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher, California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Israel’s
Foreign Minister Israel Katz reminded Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan of the
Armenian Genocide after the Turkish leader supported South
Africa’s complaint with the International Court of
Justice (World Court)
that Israel was committing genocide
against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Foreign Minister Katz tweeted on January 12, 2024: “The
president of Turkey Erdogan, from a country with the Armenian genocide in its
past, now boasts of targeting Israel
with unfounded claims. We remember the Armenians, the Kurds. Your history
speaks for itself. Israel
stands in defense, not destruction, against your barbarian allies.”
Within the larger context of the Israel-Hamas conflict, Israel’s reference to the Armenian Genocide to
attack Turkey
raises a number of important issues. After refusing for decades to acknowledge
the Armenian Genocide, Israel’s
Foreign Minister all of a sudden remembered the Armenian Genocide when it
suited his country’s interests. Here are my comments on his tweet:
1) Israeli Foreign Minister’s reference to the Armenian
Genocide cannot be considered a formal recognition which can only occur when
the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) adopts a resolution acknowledging the Armenian
Genocide.
2) This is not the first time that an Israeli Minister has
referred to the Armenian Genocide. Three other past Israeli Ministers had made
similar acknowledgements when they were serving in the government:
– Minister of Education Yossi Sarid stated on April 24,
2000, “I join you, members of the Armenian community, on your Memorial Day, as
you mark the 85th anniversary of your genocide. I am here, with you, as a human
being, as a Jew, as an Israeli, and as Education Minister of the State of
Israel.”
– Minister of Justice Yossi Beilin stated on April 24, 2000:
“Something happened that cannot be defined except as genocide. One-and-a-half
million people disappeared. It wasn’t negligence, it was deliberate.” Earlier,
when serving as Deputy Foreign Minister in 1994, Beilin made a similar
statement on the Armenian Genocide.
– Minister of Immigrant Absorption Yair Tsaban attended the
Memorial Day ceremonies of the Armenian community in Israel in 1995 and urged the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
3) Nevertheless, Israel’s Knesset attempted several
times in recent decades to adopt a resolution to recognize the Armenian
Genocide. Each time, the government of Israel
blocked the resolution to appease Turkey.
4) It is unacceptable that Israel
is using the Armenian Genocide as a bargaining chip in its problematic relations
with Turkey.
The State of Israel, as a nation of Holocaust survivors, should have been the
first country, hopefully not the last, to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
5) Equally unacceptable is the Israeli government’s excuses
for its denial of the Armenian Genocide. When relations are good between Israel and Turkey,
Israeli officials say: “We don’t wish to ruin our good relations with Turkey because
of the Armenian Genocide.” And when the relations are bad, as it is now, Israel declares: “We do not want to make our
relations with Turkey
worse by recognizing the Armenian Genocide.” Israel has thus tarnished its
reputation in the international community as a genocide denialist.
6) Contrary to the Israeli government’s denialism,
individual Jews have been some of the leading voices calling attention to the
Armenian Genocide: Henry Morgenthau, U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire
(1913-1916); Franz Werfel, Austrian Jewish novelist, author of: “The Forty Days
of Musa Dagh”; Raphael Lemkin, Polish Jewish Lawyer, who coined the term
genocide; Reuven Rivlin, former President of Israel when he was the Knesset
Chairman; Professors Israel Charny, Yair Auron, and Yehuda Bauer; and Nobel
Peace Prize Winner Elie Wiesel.
7) For years and more recently, Erdogan has used very harsh
words to insult the Israeli government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
likening him to Hitler, and accusing him of being a ‘war criminal and
terrorist’ who is committing genocide against the Palestinians. However, as in
past conflicts, when the current crisis is over, Israel
and Turkey
will return to their earlier lovey-dovey relationship. Even at the height of
this existing hostile situation, the two countries have continued their
billions of dollars of trade, exchange of intelligence, and tourism.
8) Western Europe and the United States, by ignoring the
Turkish leader’s misdeeds within NATO and his warmongering in several regional
conflicts, have spoiled Erdogan to such a degree that he knows he would be able
to get away with anything he wanted to do without facing any consequences. Back
in 2010, when a Turkish humanitarian flotilla was approaching Gaza
to break Israel’s blockade, Israel’s
military attacked the Turkish ship killing 10 Turks. Thereafter, Netanyahu
issued an apology to Erdogan and paid $20 million in compensation to the
victims’ families.
9) Even if Israel
recognizes the Armenian Genocide, Armenians will not forget the billions of
dollars of lethal weapons that Israel
sold to Azerbaijan
to kill and injure thousands of Armenian soldiers during the Artsakh War.
Shockingly, even in the midst of the Israel-Gaza war, Israel has continued to sell additional
sophisticated armaments to Azerbaijan,
as several Azeri cargo planes have been seen leaving Israel loaded with such weapons.
The “Israel Hayom” newspaper published on January 14, 2024,
an article by Nadav Shragai, titled: “Recognize the Armenian genocide now.” The
author boldly wrote: “The Israeli government’s refusal to acknowledge the
Armenian genocide is a clear case of blatant moral bankruptcy.”
Back in 1989, when Netanyahu was Deputy Foreign Minister and
had not yet lost his moral compass, had said: “There are issues that go beyond
politics and diplomacy. Genocides are a clear case of this particular
category.”
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2- 2024 Rose Parade: ‘Armenian
Melodies’ Float Wins Grand Marshal Trophy
PASADENA (Combined
Sources)—“Armenian Melodies” has won the “Grand Marshal” award for Most
Outstanding Creative Concept and Float Design in the 135th Tournament of Roses,
which took place in Pasadena
on Monday, January 1, 2024.
The 55-foot-long float created by the Armenian American Rose
Float Association (AARFA) featured many aspects of Armenian culture, symbolism,
history, and current events. It’s the sixth year the association has
participated in the annual Rose Parade, whose theme this year was “Celebrating
a World of Music: The Universal Language.”
Inspired by the strength of Armenian matriarchs throughout
history, “Armenian Melodies” features dynamic Armenian mother and daughter
figures dressed in vibrant, traditional garb. Armenian birds played a
significant role on the float, with the crane, chukar, and little ringed
plover, which are indigenous to the Armenian Highlands, nestled around the
mother and daughter. Armenian instruments also featured prominently in
“Armenian Melodies,” with traditional wind instruments native to Armenia,
including the duduk, shvi, blul, and parkapzuk, and percussion instruments such
as the dhol and nagara. Along with AARFA’s tricolor logo, Armenian symbols were
placed throughout the float. A bushel of pomegranates represented good fortune
and abundance; apricots (whose scientific name is prunus Armeniaca); the
“arevakhatch” or sun cross, symbolized eternal life.
The intricate and historic patterns woven on the mother’s
dress, called a Taraz, were designed with red Christmas mums, whole
pomegranates, dried apricots, cranberry seeds and green Ti leaves. The crane
and other birds were decorated with orange lentil, blue and purple statice, red
cranberry, lima beans, kidney beans and yellow strawflower. Drums seen on the
front and back of the float were made of flax seed, blue and pink statice,
black onions, ground rice and other materials.
Float designer Johnny Kanounji, one of the founders of
AARFA, said, “The mother symbolizes everything to the Armenian community. She
is the root of all that holds the family together. Mothers show daughters what
Armenian culture, music, and everything is; passing the torch from mother to
daughter.”
Kanounji, a Pasadena
resident, said that each year’s parade entry has aimed to highlight different
aspects of Armenian culture, lifestyle, and even Los Angeles County
— home to over 500,000 Armenians.
This year’s float called for “nearly $350,000” of
fundraising, a feat Kanounji said “wasn’t easy.” But with the amount of money
used towards the project, Kanounji said he wants to make sure to design thoughtful
floats each year.
Past parade entries from the American Armenian Float
Association have also won awards — including the President’s trophy — in 2015,
2017 and 2018, respectively.
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3- Teni Melidonian Named Chief
Oscars Officer
(Deadline)—The Academy
of Motion Pictures Arts
and Sciences (AMPAS) announced that Teni Melidonian was named to the newly
created position of Chief Oscars Officer, Deadline reported on Tuesday, January
9.
According to the entertainment news outlet, Melidonian will
lead strategy, talent relations, special events and production teams for all
awards programs and events.
This is a promotion for the longtime AMPAS executive, who as
the lead liaison with Disney/ABC—the Academy’s broadcast distribution
partner—headed Oscars ad sales, marketing, advertising and synergy strategies
supporting audience growth opportunities globally, according to Deadline.
In her new role, Melidonian will collaborate closely with
the Oscars producers and show host, Disney/ABC and Academy leadership—including
the Board of Governors and its committees—and oversee the teams involved in
developing and executing the Oscars for a global viewing audience, Deadline
reported.
The announcement was made Tuesday by Academy CEO Bill
Kramer, who also announced the promotion of MaryJane Partlow to Executive
Vice-President of Awards Production and Special Events.
“Teni is creative and forward-thinking—and her years of
Academy experience and strong knowledge of our awards are a huge asset for our
organization during this exciting and historic time. She played a critical role
in the success of last year’s show,” Kramer said in his announcement.
Melidonian was most recently Executive Vice-President of
Marketing and Oscars Strategy. She began her career at AMPAS in 2005 as a
publicist, advancing to head communications and publicity and overseeing brand
strategy and marketing before moving over to lead the Oscars Strategy team.
Prior to the Academy, Melidonian worked in Washington,
including at Armenia’s
Embassy to the United States.
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4- Armenia Artsakh
Fund, American Armenian Businessmen Coalition Deliver
$483,000 of Medicines, Medical Supplies to Lebanon
The Armenia Artsakh Fund (AAF) in partnership with American
Armenian Businessmen Coalition (AABC) and MAP International delivered $483,000
of medicines, medical supplies and emergency aid to Beirut, Lebanon
in a 20 ft. container.
This valuable shipment included much needed medicines which
included various types of antibiotics, diabetes and blood pressure medicines,
First Aid Kits, medical supplies, thermal blankets and eyeglasses.
The medications and supplies will be distributed to
disadvantaged Armenians in Lebanon
free of charge. In the past 34 years AAF has delivered to Armenia and
Artsakh a total of over $1 billion worth of humanitarian aid on board 158
airlifts and 2,577 sea containers.
For more information, call the AAF office: (818) 241-8900;
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