The Armenian Genocide

[AnnFrankenstein]

Anoush, thank you for the post. But we need to realize that the blame for the Armenian Genocide can't be placed only upon Turks, Jews or Zionism. The entire western world, especially Germany, England and France needs to be blamed as well. However, I have to agree that the Jewish factor within the Armenian Genocide is the least talked about.

I agree. Unfortunately, many of our young people have been brainwashed for years with "turks, turks, turks, turks, turks, turks, turks, turks, turks and turks." that they have lost sight of reality and have either forgotten or have no clue of who else was involved. Without the incitement, instigation, help and support (financial and military) of the others, there would not have been a genocide. In my opinion, to go after only the turks is no different than letting one person take the blame for a gang rape.

[imported_Armenian]

For some reason Armenians still fail to realize that one of the major factors behind all anti-Armenian policies within the western world, especially America, is the Jewish establishment.

I am not speaking of the many well meaning *individual* Jews who are friends of Armenians, I am speaking about all the major Jewish institutions and organizations worldwide who conspire, quite openly, against the interests of the Armenian Republic and the Armenian Diaspora.

There are many reasons why Jews today are the spearhead of the anti-Armenian propaganda within America, and there are many reasons why the Zionist State of Israel is a close ally of Turkey. Nonetheless, we will never fully grasp the political climate within Washington regarding us Armenians without first realizing the role Jews play within it.

[imported_Armenian]

PM Erdogan assured support by US Jewish leaders on Armenian question

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in the US for a United Nations (UN) backed summit of world leaders, met with high ranking members of the American Jewish community in the "Turkish House" in NYC. Representatives from the American Jewish Community, the Anti-Defamation League, and B'nai B'rith all came to speak with PM Erdogan at the Turkish House. PM Erdogan also met with Israeli PM Ariel Sharon in New York.

PM Erdogan's spokesman, Akif Beki, told press members that Erdogan had requested support from members of the US Jewish community regarding the upcoming bill in the US House of Representatives which will deal with the recognition of the Armenian genocide. Beki noted that the US Je
wish leaders had assured Erdogan that their backing of Turkey on the Armenian issue would continue into the future just as it had in the past.

Source: http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=19714

[Doberman]

Anoush, thank you for the post. But we need to realize that the blame for the Armenian Genocide can't be placed only upon Turks, Jews or Zionism. The entire western world, especially Germany, England and France needs to be blamed as well. However, I have to agree that the Jewish factor within the Armenian Genocide is the least talked about.

If you are going to point fingers at Germany, and England be sure to state who occupied specific posts and ranks.

[neutral]

The Ottoman treated its minority subjects very well (Although I know that is not the case near the end of the 19th Century). The Ottoman Empire accepted the Jews of Spain and all over Europe when they were being expelled from the 15th century onwards. When Europe threw the Jews out the Sultans opened them into his empire with open arms. That is also another important reason for Jewish support of Turkey.

[imported_Armenian]

The Ottoman treated its minority subjects very well (Although I know that is not the case near the end of the 19th Century).

Well, prior to the late 19th century Ottomans did not outright massacre Greeks and Armenian within Asia Minor because the Turk was at least smart enough to realize that they needed Armenian/Greek brains in order to run their vast empire.

However, millions of Greeks and Armenians were converted into Islam, periodic massacres of Christian minorities did occur within various Ottoman administered localities and there was an active policy of settling Kurds and other Islamic peoples within territories where Armenian and Greeks inhabited.

The Ottoman Empire accepted the Jews of Spain and all over Europe when they were being expelled from the 15th century onwards. When Europe threw the Jews out the Sultans opened them into his empire with open arms. That is also another important reason for Jewish support of Turkey.

Let us apply this comment of yours to its logical end and see if it will be acceptable by the general public.

Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party accepted Armenians within German occupied territories with open arms and not a single Armenian was harassed during the Second World War for being Armenian. Therefore, according to your logic, Hitler's acceptance of Armenians is why all Armenians today should support the Nazi movement against Jews.

Correct?

Well, it so seems that I happen to agree.

This logic would also apply to why Armenians today should support Arabs and their truggle against the Zionist State of Israel. Arabs, after all, did accept us Armenians with open arms into their lands during the Armenian Genocide, while the founding fathers of Israel were conspiring with Turks against Armenians.

[imported_anoush]

The Ottoman treated its minority subjects very well (Although I know that is not the case near the end of the 19th Century). The Ottoman Empire accepted the Jews of Spain and all over Europe when they were being expelled from the 15th century onwards. When Europe threw the Jews out the Sultans opened them into his empire with open arms. That is also another important reason for Jewish support of Turkey.

Perhaps you are unaware of the reason the jews got booted out of Spain. It certainly was not for no reason whatsoever.

[imported_Armenian]

Truth Defeats Turkey, State Dept., Turkish & Jewish Lobbying Groups

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

The truth easily triumphed over some of the world's most powerful political forces in a David vs. Goliath battle that took place in the chambers of the House International Relations Committee on Sept. 15.

Marshaled against the acknowledgment of the Armenian Genocide were the combined forces of the Turkish government, American lobbying firms hired by Turkey, the American Turkish Council, the Assembly of Turkish American Associations, several Jewish-American organizations, and the U.S. Department of State.

Two resolutions were simultaneously presented to the Committee last week:
Res. 195, calling for the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide and urging the Republic of Turkey to acknowledge the culpability of its predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire, for the Armenian Genocide; and Res. 316, calling upon the President to ensure that the foreign policy of the United States reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity concerning issues related to human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide as documented in U.S.
archives on the Armenian Genocide.

Given the fact that the U.S. government has all along acknowledged the heinous crimes committed against the Armenian people, there would normally be no need for such resolutions. In addition to the thousands of contemporaneous reports and documents in the U.S. national archives, both the House and the Senate have adopted resolutions on these mass killings as early as 1916, and signed by Pres. Woodrow Wilson. In more recent years, Armenian Genocide resolutions have been adopted by the full House in 1975 and 1984. In addition, two amendments concerning the Armenian Genocide were adopted by the House in 1996 and 2004. Furthermore, Pres. Ronald Reagan issued a Presidential Proclamation on April 22, 1981, acknowledging the Armenian Genocide.

Despite all of these acknowledgments, Armenian Americans try to pass such resolutions in order to counter the continued denial of the Armenian Genocide by the Turkish government and its U.S. cronies. The attempt to counter the denialists have regrettably made these commemorative resolutions a test of political will between the unholy alliance of revisionist forces and the Armenian American community.

Since 1999, the Turkish government has engaged the services of The Livingston Group to block these congressional resolutions. The lobbying firm is led by the highly influential former Cong. Bob Livingston. However, judging from the results of the votes in the Committee in favor of both resolutions (40 to 7; and 35 to 11), it appears that the Turkish government has basically wasted the more than $10 million it paid the Livingston Group in the past 5 years (figures based on a recent study conducted by Public Citizen). Prominent Turkish journalist Sami Kohen agreed with this negative assessment when he stated in his Sept. 16 column published in Milliyet: "We can't say that the professional lobbyists working for Turkey are very successful." Thus, it would not be surprising should the Turkish government terminate the services of the Livingston Group in the coming months, particularly since Mr. Livingston has been quite pre-occupied with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that devastated his home state of Louisiana.

Sami Kohen also attributed the passage of both resolutions to "Turkey's incompetence in promotion - in conveying its ideas and influencing pubic opinion." Since Amb. Faruk Logoglu is responsible for carrying out the initiatives of his government in Washington, his abject failure to block these resolutions in Committee may cost him his job. Except for the one letter (most probably written by the lobbying firm) that Amb. Logoglu circulated to the members of the House panel, he was surprisingly inactive and ineffective.

Also ineffective were the efforts of the American Turkish Council (ATC) and the Assembly of Turkish American Associations (ATAA) in countering these two resolutions. ATC Chairman Brent Scowcroft sent a letter to Speaker Dennis Hastert on Sept. 9, warning him of dire consequences for American firms doing business with Turkey, should the resolutions be even discussed in the House. In response, the Armenian National Committee issued a press release accusing Scowcroft, a former National Security Advisor to Pres. George H.W.
Bush and Gerald Ford, of "compromising his integrity in pursuit of personal business interests."

The ATAA, in its turn, issued an Action Alert to its members on Sept. 8, urging them to contact the members of the House panel and sent a letter to Cong. Henry Hyde, the Chairman of the House International Relations Committee on Sept. 14. The ATAA warned its members that "inaction on the part of the Turkish American community will compromise U.S.-Turkish relations, encourage more acts of harassment, violence and terrorism against people of Turkish and Turkic descent, and could potentially lead to territorial and compensation claims against the Republic of Turkey."

The ATC and ATAA are the two groups whose officials, according to an article in this month's Vanity Fair magazine, had allegedly discussed making illegal campaign contributions to Speaker Dennis Hastert, in order to block the passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution in fall 2000. The magazine said it had based its report on FBI wiretaps.

The Turks also failed to enlist the services of various American-Jewish groups to their cause. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was in the U.S. on the eve of the House Committee vote, personally asked the leaders of the American Jewish Committee and the Anti-Defamation League to lobby against the Armenian Genocide resolution. According to the Turkish press, these Jewish groups pledged their support to the Prime Minister. However, judging from their inaction on this issue, it appears that they did nothing more than paying lip service to the Turkish leader.

Another loser in this latest political tug-of-war was the U.S. State Department. In a letter addressed to Chairman Hyde on Sept. 15, Matthew A.
Reynolds, the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, reiterated "the Administration's strong opposition" to these resolutions.
Beyond writing this letter, the Bush Administration did not do anything substantial to pressure the Republican Chairman of the Committee into blocking the two resolutions. After the vote, when Adam Ereli, the Deputy Spokesman of the State Dept. was asked if the Administration would try to prevent these resolutions from reaching the House floor, he would only reiterate that the Administration did not support the adoption of these resolutions in the House Committee. The Turkish press speculated that the U.S. government's lackluster effort to counter these resolutions was due to the American anger at the Turkish Parliament's refusal to allow U.S. troops to enter Iraq from Turkey prior to the Iraqi war.

While the Bush Administration may have couched its displeasure at Turkey, Cong. Tom Lantos (D-CA), a staunch supporter of Turkey and a rabid opponent of previous Armenian Genocide resolutions, stunned everyone when he brazenly announced during the Committee meeting that he was going to vote for both resolutions in order to teach the Turks a lesson for not supporting the U.S.
on the eve of the Iraqi war. Only 3 of the 50 members of the House International Relations Committee spoke against these resolutions. More than 20 others spoke in favor. It was, therefore, not surprising that the Committee overwhelmingly approved both resolutions.

The Committee's Republican Chairman, Henry Hyde, was unwavering in his support for these resolutions. He dismissed out of hand Turkish warnings that their adoption would damage U.S.-Turkish relations. He said that the resolutions "merely recognize the fact that the authorities of the Ottoman Empire deliberately slaughtered the majority of the Armenian community in their empire. Denial of that fact cannot be justified on the basis of expediency or fear that speaking the truth will do us harm."

Given the overwhelming support in Committee in favor of these resolutions and the lackluster efforts of their opponents, it is almost certain that the entire House would easily vote to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide.

Speaker Hastert should promptly bring one of these resolutions for a vote on the House floor. The duly elected representatives of the American people should not be deprived of the opportunity to express their position on this important issue. The Speaker would be also honoring his pledge of five years ago that he would allow a full floor vote on the Armenian Genocide resolution.

By allowing such a vote, Speaker Hastert would also clear his name from boastful allegations made by some Turkish officials that they have bought his opposition to the Armenian Genocide resolution by making illegal contributions to his campaign.

[imported_Armenian]

The Turkish-Israeli Alliance and Genocide Denial

By David B. Boyajian

It is a sad and painful truth that, as a consequence of the expanding alliance between Turkey and Israel, the Jewish American lobby is now also a Turkish lobby, and has declared war on Armenians.

The story begins in 1949. Turkey became the first Muslim state to recognize Israel, though relations in the years following were not always warm. The two states established full diplomatic relations in 1991, however, and by 1996 were in open embrace after signing a Military and Training Cooperation Agreement and a Free Trade Agreement. Actually, the romance had budded even a bit earlier, but behind closed doors.

For example, after a stint at the Pentagon under President Ronald Reagan, prominent Jewish American Richard Perle became a paid ($231,000) lobbyist for Turkey and, working alongside Israel, reportedly quashed a Senate resolution in 1989 on the Armenian Genocide. Perle now chairs the Pentagon's influential Defense Policy Board.

Just last year, the director of the American Jewish Committee, Barry Jacobs, bragged, "We will champion to the best of our ability Turkish interests in the US Congress."

But why would Turkey and Israel, a nation hated by many Muslims, including Turks, become allies?

Common Enemies

What Turkey and Israel (along with the US) have most in common is a trio of enemies: Syria, Iraq, and Iran.

Though they share the Muslim faith, Turks look down upon Arabs and still resent their revolt against the Turkish Empire in World War I. In turn, Syria and Iraq, like most Arab countries, detest Turkey's superiority complex and its partnerships, such as NATO, with the generally pro-Israeli West.

Turkey has angered Syria and Iraq by limiting the flow of water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. Likewise, Syria had infuriated Turkey by hosting the anti-Turkish fighters of the Kurdish PKK until 1998. Additionally, Syrians have long regarded Turkey's Hatay province (Alexandretta) as being rightfully theirs, while Turks have never fully relinquished claims on the oil-rich Mosul region of northern Iraq.

Iran (Persia) has clashed with Turks for nearly a thousand years, and the two compete for influence among Muslims in the ex-Soviet states of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Tehran and Ankara also suspect the other is encouraging separatist movements: Azeris in Iran, and Kurds in Turkey.

But the reasons for the alliance don't stop there.

Israel earns billions when it upgrades Turkish weapons, such as F-4 jets, and when Turkey purchases Israeli weapons, such as Popeye air-to- surface missiles and, possibly, the partly American-funded Homa/Arrow anti-ballistic missile system. Whereas Western countries sometimes hesitate to sell Turkey weapons due to human rights concerns, Israeli analyst Efrain Inbar says his country "is not as scrupulous as most nations in the world in this area [selling weapons]."

The two countries trade intelligence data on common adversaries and, almost certainly, on Cyprus, Greece, and even Armenians. Israel reportedly flies spy planes and has electronic listening posts along Turkey's southern border.

Israeli Air Force pilots drill Turkish counterparts in combat techniques, and, in return, get to hone their own skills in Turkey's expansive airspace. Together with the US, Turkey and Israel conduct naval maneuvers each January dubbed "Reliant Mermaid." Some experts even speculate that Israel could provide Turkey with a "nuclear umbrella" [www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/maxwell/mp22.pdf].

Water-poor Israel has also been negotiating with water-rich Turkey to have that vital commodity shipped to Israel by tankers.

Periphery Strategy

The present strategy of Ankara (and the US State Department) to penetrate the Muslim/Turkic nations of the former Soviet Union such as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan--all of which are sitting on oil and gas reserves--fits Tel Aviv's own ambitions.

As part of its long-standing "periphery" strategy, Israel seeks friends among distant non-Arab Muslim nations in order to counter nearby Arab Muslim hostility. In the last decade, Israel has established relationships, especially in the field of agriculture, with all six former Soviet Muslim countries.

Israel also hopes to see oil and gas exported from the Caspian Basin, not just for itself but also to lessen the West's dependence on Arab oil and thus reduce Arab leverage against the West. Hence, Israel supports the proposed oil pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey.

Jewish Lobby

The Turkish-Israeli deal included an extra provision: the powerful Jewish American lobby--the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the American Jewish Committee, and several other organizations--would toil on Turkey's behalf, particularly in countering the Armenian and Greek lobbies.

Though the average American--Jewish or otherwise--is unaware of that provision, experts openly acknowledge it. Even five years ago, for instance, Joseph Leitmann-Santa Cruz and Cagri Erdem--respectively Jewish and Turkish analysts--were trumpeting that "the influential Jewish lobby" could help Ankara "improve its image, diminish the accusations of Armenian and Greek lobbying groups, and improve its economic and defense cooperation with the US."

Indeed, in October 2000, Jewish organizations and former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres helped the State Department kill an Armenian Genocide resolution in the House of Representatives. "The Jewish lobby," reported Turkey's Sabah newspaper, "threw all its weight into the job.and very openly."

In 2001, a major Jewish organization in Maryland tried to stop the state from passing an Armenian Genocide resolution. Legislator Cheryl Kagan, who also happens to sit on the board of the American Jewish Committee, termed the Genocide "an alleged massacre" and compared the bill to one designating "the official state cat." Fortunately, the resolution passed anyway.

Partly as an outgrowth of the Israel-Turkey relationship, the Jewish lobby labored for years against Armenian-Americans to repeal Congressional sanctions, Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act, on Azerbaijan. Finally, in the wake of September 11, 2001, the Bush administration, helped along by the Jewish lobby, succeeded in repealing the sanctions.

Around that same time, nine leading Jewish American organizations formally asked President Bush to provide Turkey "debt forgiveness, trade concessions, and/or further [loan] relief."

In Los Angeles, the taxpayer-funded Jewish "Museum of Tolerance," apparently bowing to Turkish and Israeli desires, has broken its pledge to include an Armenian Genocide exhibit.

Meanwhile, Tel Aviv, like Washington, keeps Turkey happy by employing euphemisms such as Armenian "tragedy" rather than "genocide."

Though it is hypocritical of Jewish leaders to conspire with Turkey in covering up the Genocide, it cannot be said that Israel or Jews are somehow uniquely pro-Turkish. After all, the governments and power structures of the "Christian" West and elsewhere have long supported Turkey and been largely indifferent to Armenian interests. Nevertheless, American Jewish clout in government, media, academia, and commerce provides Turkey with new and powerful allies.

For example, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, President Bush's chief foreign policy strategist, is fervently pro-Turkish. Noted Jewish political analyst Dr. Daniel Pipes acknowledges that "to make its case," Turkey "counts on American Jews such as" Defense Undersecretary Douglas Feith, Defense Policy Board chairman Richard Perle, and Prof. Bernard Lewis (a Genocide denier and Bush advisor), as well as on Jewish "institutions."

In an intriguing press release issued in January, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), co-chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus and a good friend of Armenians, stated that improved "Armenian-Israeli relations" are important to the Bush administration. He suggested that Armenia follow Turkey's example of establishing close links to Israel. That far-away Tel Aviv plays a central role in Washington's policy toward Armenia speaks volumes.

Jewish Friends

It would be wrong and counterproductive, however, to blame Jews for the misguided actions of some of their leaders. The average Jewish American is unaware of the extent of the lobby's Genocide denial. Moreover, Jewish leaders have been intentionally brainwashing their rank-and-file into believing that Turks have historically adored Jews. An honest Jewish American scholar, Jonathan Eric Lewis has eloquently punctured that myth [see https://www.hairenik.com/armenianwee...story003.html].

In Israel, historians Israel Charny and Yair Auron, as well as former Cabinet ministers Yossi Beilin and Yossi Sarid, have bravely confronted Israel's Genocide denial.

In the US, scores of Jewish academicians have supported Armenian Genocide studies (eg. Dr. Deborah Dwork of Clark University) and written about and signed petitions (eg. Dr. Robert Melson of Purdue) on the subject.

Many Jewish members of Congress--Adam Schiff, Steven Rothman, and Barney Frank, to name just a few--have strongly supported Armenian- American issues.

Next Steps

Armenia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and hesitates to criticize that nation, perhaps out of concern that Israel and the US will retaliate. That leaves the matter to Armenian-Americans. Though meetings with Jewish lobbying groups have proven unproductive, Armenians rightfully continue to work with other, fair-minded Jewish Americans. Can we do more?

Jewish claims to sympathetic treatment from Christians are based largely on the Holocaust and the consequent need for a secure homeland. When the Jewish lobby is caught covering up a Christian Genocide, however, Americans may conclude that the emphasis on the Holocaust has been no more than a political ploy.

Our only recourse now, sadly, is to ensure that all Americans learn about the Jewish lobby's dazzling hypocrisy on genocide and unprincipled collusion with Turkey. With Americans already raising questions about Israel's interests in a US invasion of Iraq, the time is right for Armenians to make their case, even if that means using full-page media ads.

Additionally, it is imperative that Armenian-Americans and their churches begin serious discussions with American Christian groups, particularly those "fundamentalist" organizations that provide massive support to Israel supposedly based on Biblical verse.

It is incomprehensible that American Christians provide vastly more political support for Israel and the Holocaust than for the first Christian nation on earth and its Genocide. Armenian Apostolics, Catholics, and most importantly, Evangelicals/Protestants, as well as our cultural and political organizations, must act quickly before events in the world overtake us.

Finally, as we Armenian-Americans explain our views, let us be as charitable and honorable to others as we hope they would be towards us. Let us also understand the concerns of all people who look back with fondness to the land of their forebears.

Source: http://www.hairenik.com/armenianweek...litics001.html

[imported_Armenian]

Zionists, Turkey and Armenians: a story of taboos, distorted truth and unholy alliances:

By Hagop Kassardjian

The Daily Star, 7/2/03

The history of the Armenian genocide committed by the Turks (1894-1922) is taboo in official Israeli discourse. Evidence of this taboo is that in 1982 at the end of an international conference held in Tel Aviv on the theme of “collective genocide,” Israeli representatives withdrew from the conference as they disapproved of discussing the Armenian genocide.

This shows the limits of Zionist thought and the extent to which the Israeli government will go to satisfy the Jewish lobby and its strategic ally, Turkey.
However, other factors highlight the defensive nature of Israeli policy and the denial practised by the Israeli administration toward the Armenian genocide.
After the Cold War, Armenians, ignored by Turkish and Jewish politicians, made common cause with Arab and Iranian interests.
The Karabach conflict in South Caucasia between Armenia and Azerbaijan became an Azeri-Israeli issue.

However, the Jewish community refuses any comparison between the Holocaust and other genocides, and denies the existence of the Armenian genocide. The Jewish-Turkish historic alliance is based on three main historical factors: The weight of Jewish moral debts toward the Ottomans.
Since 1461, after the fall of Andalusia, the Ottoman Empire introduced a policy of admission reserved for foreigners living in its territory. Jews fleeing Andalusia were absorbed into the Ottoman Empire and officially recognized under the Millet system.

Other peoples were organized under the same system. The Millet system separated subjects into ethnic and religious groups, which enjoyed religious freedom and a certain amount of autonomy. The Armenians were part of this system. The Ottoman Jews were pioneers in the establishment of the Zionist entity in Palestine. They were the mediators between Zionism and the Ottoman Empire until the Balfour Declaration was signed in 1917.

Theodore Herzl, the founder of Zionism, was born in the multi-ethnic Austro-Hungarian Empire. Herzl’s time in France and the lessons he drew from the Dreyfus affair led him to propose a national territorial solution to the Jewish issue. In 1897, the World Zionist Organization was created at a congress in Basel, Switzerland, to represent the national aspirations of the Jews.

The roots of Zionist denial toward the Armenian cause date back to Article 61 of the 1878 Berlin Treaty. In Article 61, the Armenian issue was raised to international level (improving the situation of Armenians in Eastern Anatolia).
It is true that international, regional and local powers supported reforms demanded by the Armenians. However, the apparent success of the internationalization of the Armenian cause had negative repercussions. It generated a feeling of malevolence and jealousy from other groups, mainly the Jews.

The Jews insisted on reforms identical to those of Armenians. Jewish hostility toward the Armenians appeared between 1894 and 1896 during the Hamidiam Massacres when the Jews of Istanbul and other provinces betrayed Armenian rebels and fugitives. Herzl also dealt with Sultan Abdel-Hamid. Jewish colonization of Palestine was proposed in exchange for support against Armenian national aspirations. The Sultan refused to let foreign Jews colonize Palestine, but permitted Ottoman Jews to do so.

It was not until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the Balfour Declaration of 1917 that Zionist political achievements started taking shape. Palestine was recognized as a “national home” for the Jews.
Later, the Jewish-Turkish alliance was strengthened when Mustafa Kemal Ataturk came to power in Turkey. The close relationship between the Jews and the Turks was unaffected by the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey was the first Muslim state to recognize the state of Israel after it was declared in 1948, and the Arab-Armenian-Iranian axis was formed to confront the Turkish-Zionist axis.

The Turkish-Zionist partnership seeks the erosion of Arab nationalism, the denial of the Armenian cause and the weakening of Iranian zeal.
In February 2002, Rebecca Cohen, an Israeli diplomat, said that “the Armenian people have been the victims of a terrible tragedy, not a collective genocide.” Such words distort the truth and were refuted by the Armenians, who reminded the Israelis that Armenians gave refuge to thousands of Jews who fled Nazi Germany.

After the foundation of the Zionist state and the Turkish-Jewish alliance, the Armenian cause was used to the advantage of Zionists.
“Turkification” is an ideology that mobilizes hatred against others (Arabs, Armenians) that stand in the way of their expansionist projects.
The Zionist-Turkish alliance, embodied in military, economic, strategic and financial ties, bears proof of the two countries’ shared objectives. This alliance can only exist in conditions that are perceived as unjust by other groups, like the Palestinians, the innocent victims of this alliance.

Hagop Kassardjian is a Beirut MP and a member of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s parliamentary Beirut Decision Bloc. He wrote this commentary for The Daily Star.

Link: http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%2...assardjian.htm