“We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, and Nobel Laureate
At the height of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in 1942, despite the danger to their own lives, Pran Tashchiyan and her husband Grigori decided to save the two children of their Jewish neighbours from being slaughtered at the hands of SS squads. For two years, the couple kept the children in their house in Semferopol in Crimea and had to constantly devise new ways to hide them, including in the cellar, attic, and even the kennel. Pran and Grigori themselves were survivors of the Armenian genocide and had managed to escape to Russia from Turkey during World War I. In fact, Israel’s official Holocaust memorial, Yad Vashem, has documented numerous stories of Armenians helping Jews during Hitler’s purge and has even honoured them with the title of ‘Righteous Among the Nations’—awarded to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
Yet, these stories of bravery have not spurred the State of Israel into action. Israel has time and again refused to recognise the systematic murder of over a million Armenians by Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923 as genocide, despite widespread public support for the Israeli government to do so. A 2007 poll found that more than 70% of Israelis surveyed believe that their country should recognise the Armenian genocide. Another survey found that awareness amongst Israel’s younger generation about the Armenian tragedy was at 88%, higher than most European countries.
Many Israeli politicians have also endorsed the idea of recognising the genocide. In fact, current President Reuven Rivlin has expressed his support regarding the issue on several occasions. In 2011, Rivlin said that it was his “duty as a Jew and Israeli to recognise the tragedies of other peoples” and in 2015 became the first Israeli president to speak about the Armenian genocide at the United Nations, where, according to reports, he used the term “genocide” to describe the events of 1915. Israeli lawmakers from different sides of the political spectrum, including Meretz’s Tamar Zandberg, Yamina’s Ayelet Shaked, and Likud’s Gilad Erdan, have supported measures aimed at recognition. Similarly, in 2016, the Knesset’s Education, Culture, and Sports Committee acknowledged the Armenian Genocide and called on Israel to officially recognise it as well.
In this respect, it is surprising that Israel has shied away from officially accepting that genocide took place. Following United States (US) President Joe Biden’s recognition of the Armenian genocide last week, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement that it recognised the “terrible suffering” of the Armenian people, falling short of calling it a genocide. This has once again renewed a long-standing debate in Israel surrounding the recognition of the massacre of Armenians. Articles on why Israel should follow the US’ example flooded mainstream Israeli media, including the Times of Israel, Haaretz, and Jerusalem Post. Furthermore, opposition leader and Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid tweeted that he will “continue to fight for Israeli recognition of the Armenian genocide”, describing it as a “moral responsibility” of the Jewish State.
This leads us to two very important questions: Why is it important that Israel recognise the Armenian genocide and what has stopped it from using the word “genocide”? But before answering these questions, it is important to have a clear understanding of what happened to the Armenians between 1917 and 1923.
What is the Armenian genocide?
On 24 April 1915, the Ottoman Turks began a campaign of the mass slaughter of Armenians and expelled over a million people, including women and children who were sent on death marches in the desert. Fearing a rise in Armenian nationalism during the first World War, the Turks began cracking down on ethnic Armenians. While many Armenians were executed by Turkish authorities, others perished due to starvation and disease. The death toll is estimated to be somewhere around 1-1.5 million. Historian, Ronald Grigor Suny, in his book A History of the Armenian Genocide, estimates that 90% of Turkey’s Armenian population was wiped out as a result of the atrocities.
These findings are denied by Turkish officials, who claim that Armenians were not deliberately targeted and that the casualties were a result of collateral damage. Turkey has aggressively pursued a policy to prevent international recognition of the Armenian genocide and has warned countries of serious consequences if the events of 1915 are recognised as “genocide.”
What reason does Israel have to recognise the Armenian genocide?
Firstly, both Jews and Armenians have been discriminated against for alleged dual loyalties. While around six million Jews perished in the Holocaust, more than a million Armenians died as a result of nationalist Ottoman policies. The fact that both ethnicities not only share a tragic past but have also been brutally crucified for more or less the same reasons, should be a strong rationale for identification between both sides.
Secondly, one of the main motives for the formation of the Jewish State was to prevent another Holocaust from occurring. The idea of “never again” is deeply embedded in Israeli society and politics. However, whether this idea extends only towards Jews or includes other people is a point of contention. Regardless, Israel should recognise the Armenian genocide, as there exist several parallels between the massacre of Armenians and the Holocaust. In fact, historians have noted that Adolf Hitler was in many ways inspired by the Ottoman purges of the Armenians and used it as a reason for killing Jews. Likewise, the Jewish resistance in Europe against the Nazis was said to have been inspired by the Armenian Musa Dagh soldiers who fought the Ottomans.
Apart from this, Israel has one of the oldest Armenian diasporas in the world. It is estimated that around 1000 Armenians live in the Armenian Quarter located in Jerusalem’s Old City, with a further 2000 in the West Bank.
Another important aspect to be considered is whether the recognition of genocides should go beyond strategic and political considerations. The Holocaust, for instance, has been recognised even by some of Israel’s biggest rivals. A policy paper titled The Crumbling Walls of Arab Holocaust Denial, written by Robert Satloff for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy earlier this month, argues that legitimisation of the Holocaust is slowly being accepted in Arab societies. Satloff cites the example of Morocco’s King Mohammed calling the Holocaust “one of the most tragic chapters in modern history” in 2009, more than a decade before Morocco signed a peace deal with Israel. The paper also mentions the “stunning declaration” made by Saudi Arabia’s World Muslim League chief Mohammed Bin Abdul Karim al-Issa in 2020 denouncing Holocaust denial. Al-Issa followed it up with a visit to the Auschwitz extermination camp in Poland, where he addressed a delegation from the American Jewish Committee.
Furthermore, back in 2013, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said that the Holocaust was a “reprehensible” crime committed by the Nazis against the Jews, in stark contrast to the Holocaust denial agenda of his predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Rouhani’s comments came as a shock, especially when Iranian leaders are notorious for promoting anti-Semitic material.
Turkey, too, recognises the Holocaust, despite its strained ties with Israel, and is the only Muslim member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), one of the largest international bodies dedicated to Holocaust education. Similarly, Bahrain and UAE have hosted several Holocaust education conferences, especially after the signing of the 2020 Abraham Accords.
This underscores a deeper point that recognition of traumatic events can go beyond political and strategic ties. The fact that many leaders and states from the Arab world are more willing to acknowledge the Holocaust and describe it as an act of genocide is a signal that change is possible, albeit slowly. In this respect, it is clear that a potential Israeli recognition of the Armenian genocide, in spite of the two countries’ tense bilateral ties, would not be out of step with international convention.
What has prevented Israel from recognising?
Geopolitics seems to be the main culprit here. It can be argued that Israel’s relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan act as a major deterrent towards acknowledging that the Ottoman Turks committed genocide against Armenians. Even though ties between Turkey and Israel have been on the decline for a while, Tel Aviv still considers Ankara a vital strategic partner. Israel has significant economic and military ties with Turkey and the recognition of the Armenian genocide could further jeopardise relations. Turkey has adopted a highly aggressive and reactive policy on the recognition of the Armenian genocide by other states. In 2000, then-Israeli education minister Yossi Sarid recognised the Armenian genocide in a speech and as a result became persona non grata in Turkey. A breakdown down in ties with Turkey would deal a great blow to Israel’s strategic efforts in the region to counter arch-foe Iran.
Israel also shares a great bonhomie with Azerbaijan, which has also taken Turkey’s side in the Armenian genocide debate. Azerbaijan heavily relies on Israel for military equipment and in turn provides a steady supply of oil to Israel. In fact, Israeli drones were used by Azerbaijan against Armenia in last year’s war over Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan also shares a border with Iran, and it has been reported that Israel has considered using Azeri air bases for a possible strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. Taking this into consideration, Israeli recognition of the Armenian genocide could strain ties with not only Turkey but also Azerbaijan, two key regional partners.
All things considered, Israel’s reluctance to recognise the Armenian genocide highlights the fundamental nature of international politics—the prioritisation of strategic concerns over morality-based approaches. It is hoped, however, that the Biden administration’s recognition of the Armenian genocide will push Israel to make a historic change in its approach.