Armenian Ambassador to Israel: Approximately 80% of Israeli society  believes the country should have recognized the Armenian Genocide  long ago

ArmInfo. Approximately 80% of Israeli society who speak out on this issue believes the country should have recognized the Armenian Genocide long ago. Armenian Ambassador to Israel Arman Hakobyan  made this  statement in an interview with Israel's Channel 9.

He clarified why Israel effectively recognized the Armenian Genocide,  but then suspended the vote in the Israeli parliament. According to  him, the official position of the country's Ministry of Foreign  Affairs (MFA) is that the government's unanimous decision is  sufficient grounds for Israel to be considered a country that has  recognized the Armenian Genocide. "But something else is interesting.  For many years, Israel has been criticized for failing to recognize  the Armenian Genocide as a country that survived the Holocaust. Now,  recognition has occurred, albeit very late, but the reaction has been  mixed," the ambassador noted.

Specifically, he pointed to the differing positions on this issue  among the government and civil society.  "There are two sides here.  One is the official position of the state, the other is the position  of civil society.  And if we talk about Israeli society, it cannot be  denied: the overwhelming majority of civil activists and public  figures have always advocated for the recognition of the Armenian  Genocide. I analyze publications in the press and social media,  monitoring comments under articles. According to my observations,  approximately 80% of people who speak out on this topic believe that  Israel should have recognized the Armenian Genocide long ago. Those  who completely deny the fact of the genocide are very few. There are  also people who acknowledge that the genocide occurred, but believe  that the state should not make political recognition," the ambassador  said. Hakobyan also noted the fact that support for recognition is  somewhat lower among the Russian-speaking segment. He put it at  around 75-80%. "One would think that there would be greater  understanding of the Armenian question among Russian-speaking Jews,  given the historical closeness of the two peoples and the large  number of mixed families. Overall, it's surprising that in a society  with such historical closeness between Armenians and Jews, the issue  is perceived ambiguously. When I was asked about this before, I  avoided political comments. But I did say one thing:  recognition  reflects a stance that has long existed in Israeli society. In fact,  the state's official stance has finally come closer to public  demand," Hakobyan said.

The diplomat also commented on the reports that emerged after this  move, asking whether this was a "moral or geopolitical" decision.  Specifically, he said, people were asking: is this historical justice  or political calculation? "It's important to understand: Armenia has  never asked other countries to recognize the Armenian Genocide. For  us, this is not the basis for bilateral relations. We have excellent  relations with many countries that have not done so. Today, Israel  became the 33rd country to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide  (in fact, Israel suspended the vote in the Israeli parliament on the  issue of recognizing the Armenian Genocide   ed.). Initiatives for  such recognition usually originate within the countries themselves,  not from outside. This is also not the first time in Israel. This  issue has been raised in the Knesset many times, with individual  members of parliament and parties advocating for recognition. Several  years ago, the relevant Knesset committee already considered this  issue," Hakobyan recalled.

However, the diplomat doesn't believe this will dramatically change  bilateral relations. He says this isn't a key factor in Armenia's  relations with other countries. "We take this fact into account.  Every state makes such decisions based on its own reasons. Over time,  people forget the political circumstances, but the fact of  recognition remains. With Israel, the circumstances will probably be  remembered longer because there was much more discussion and  attention around it," the diplomat believes.

The ambassador also commented on the attacks against Armenians in the  Old City of Jerusalem. According to him, this is one of the factors  that is drawing serious attention in Armenian society. He  acknowledged that in recent years, hostile acts against Armenians and  Christians in general in the Old City of Jerusalem have become more  frequent. "It must be emphasized: this isn't just a problem for the  Armenian community.  It's a broader issue concerning manifestations  of anti-Christianity. But there are also specific cases directed  specifically against Armenians. For example, threatening graffiti,  attacks on Armenian establishments, and attempts to exert pressure on  Armenian property. When Armenian society sees such events and asks  questions, it doesn't necessarily constitute anti-Semitism. Criticism  of specific actions or inaction by the authorities is a normal part  of public debate. If Armenians are attacked in any country and the  police don't respond appropriately, people have the right to speak  out," Hakobyan noted.

At the same time, he believes that some authors are trying to create  the impression that Armenia is an institutionally anti-Semitic state.  "For example, ASALA is often mentioned. But this organization ceased  to exist in the early 1980s. It was primarily directed against Turkey  and was not an anti-Semitic organization.  If one wants to prove that  anti-Semitism exists in a certain country, one can collect materials  from fringe websites and individual extremist groups. But this does  not paint the true picture of society. This does not mean that  anti-Semitic manifestations have never existed in Armenia. They  exist, as in any country in the world. But one cannot take isolated  cases and create a picture of an entire society from them. It is also  important to understand the difference between anti-Semitism and  criticism of Israeli policies," the ambassador concluded.

Recall, on June 28, the Israeli government unanimously recognized the  mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I  as Genocide. The initiative was put forward by Israeli Foreign  Minister Gideon Sa'ar. The document was then set to be submitted to  the Knesset for approval. The Turkish Foreign Ministry sharply  criticized this Israeli initiative. Turkey called the Israeli  cabinet's actions politically motivated. Azerbaijan also condemned  Israel's intention to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman  Empire. Specifically, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a  statement on June 29 calling on Israel to reconsider its position. On  July 13, it was announced that Israel had suspended a critical vote  in the Israeli parliament on recognizing the violence against  Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide.