At the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, the message of condolence issued by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Armenian people on April 23, the eve of the 99th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, was closely examined. What will Israel do now? Will it continue to fence-sit on the issue of recognizing the disaster that befell the Armenian people, caught between taking a moral stand and avoiding angering the Turks? If Erdogan can afford to change the Turkish attitude toward this sensitive issue, perhaps it’s time for Israel to adopt a clearer and more decisive stance.
On the other hand, how will it look for the Israeli government to be dragged along in the wake of a Turkish leader who doesn’t miss a chance to lash out at it? How will the Foreign Ministry explain a decision to recognize the Armenian genocide, after arguing for years that one must examine this sensitive issue “through an open debate based on data and facts, and not on political decisions or declarations.” This is what Likud Minister Gilad Erdan said in a 2009 speech delivered at the Knesset, asking in the government’s name to remove from the agenda the issue of recognizing the Armenian genocide.