Today.Az » World news » Israeli Knesset's Armenia move not a 'counterattack'
25 May 2011 [09:41] - Today.Az


Israeli parliament, or Knesset’s, decision to discuss the 1915 events in a parliamentary committee is not a counterattack in response to plans for a new flotilla bound for Gaza next month, said a diplomatic source familiar with the issue on Tuesday.

"I don’t think so. It has no connection. The flotilla issue was not raised by any of the Knesset members in the plenary session last week," said the source.

"It [the Armenia issue] comes up again and again at the plenary floor by the same party." Israel’s left-wing Meretz party is calling for the Jewish state’s recognition of Armenian genocide allegations.

Last week, the Israeli Parliament gave approval at a plenary session for the discussion of the Armenian genocide bill at the education committee.

"It is a general decision. We’ll see. It is just a plan. There is no date. There is not even planned content for what will be discussed in the future," the source said.

Different from the past, the issue, if approved, will be discussed by the education committee, instead of the defense and foreign relations committee.

"Even though in the past there were a few decisions to discuss the matter in the foreign relations committee, it has never been raised thus far. Only the plenary decided it will be discussed in the committee and then the head of the committee chose not to bring it up," the source said.

"I will not say if that is going to happen again. There are chances that it is going to be discussed, but even if it is going to be discussed, the education committee cannot oblige the government to take action."

Any decision made by the education committee on the issue is non-binding and it is up to the Israeli government to implement it. The committee decision, if taken by majority and accepted by the Israeli government, can only have impact on the country’s educational curriculum.

"It is not about Israeli parliament recognizing [the so-called Armenian genocide claims] or not recognizing them. It was not an issue in the plenary. The representative of the Israeli government has repeated, in his answer to the Knesset members, the old, known Israeli point of view regarding this issue," said the source.


/Hurriyet Daily News/


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