It Is Our Moral Obligation to Recognize Armenian Genocide – Israeli MP

Israel’s Knesset member Zahava Gal-On believes it is Israel’s obligation to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
Member of left wing New Movement Meretz party commented for Armenian News-NEWS.am on decision to discuss the Armenian Genocide. She noted that this year’s debates are important as they are held in open Committee on Education, Culture and Sports.
“In the last two years Knesset decided to hold discussion of the Armenian Genocide issue in one of the committees but they never discussed in the education committee which is open. We can invite many people to participate in the discussion. It is very important from this viewpoint,” she said.
Speaking of the timing of this decision, Gal-On stressed every year representatives of Meretz party raise the issue on the Armenian Genocide in the parliament. This time Israeli government and foreign ministry, due to the issues with the Turkish government, were more flexible on the issue, she assumed.
The MP expressed hope Israel will recognize the Armenian Genocide and that decision “will open new relations between the countries.”
“It is our moral obligation but it is really hard to estimate what will happen,” she concluded.
The Committee on Education, Culture and Sports of the Israeli Knesset accepted the demand to discuss the Armenian Genocide recognition in the parliament. Meretz party submitted the issue for discussion in the committee. The demand to discuss the recognition of the Armenian Genocide was adopted by majority vote.
On Monday Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon claimed that there is no chance that Israel will recognize the Armenian Genocide, “It is impossible”, he said adding that “We can not afford damaging relations with our main strategic partner Azerbaijan because of some controversial historical issues relating to the events which happened a century ago”.