Armenians hostility toward Jews was based on religious dogma and centuries-old rivalry: Human Rights Institute expert

Day.Az: In recent years, various international media and academic journals have reported on numerous occasions that Armenians in the Middle East have become more active. What are your views as a researcher and historian? 

Moisei Bekker: The confrontation between Israel and terrorist organizations supported from outside that has lasted for more than 60 years clearly signaled the dividing line between supporters and opponents of the peace process. Being located in the heart of the Middle East conflict, the Armenian community in Lebanon, Syria and the Islamic Republic of Iran actively took the side of those who declared "destroying the Zionist entity” their goal.

Great part of the Armenian population appeared in many Middle East countries during the World War I, when one of the leaders of the Young Turks, Governor of Syro-Palestine Cemal Pasha settled hundreds of thousands of representatives of ethnic minorities in the territory under his jurisdiction. Armenians gripped trade, banking and services sectors soon after. Acquiring financial leverage, their communities became very influential component of the local establishment. Nearly 250,000 Armenians lived in Lebanon, about 150,000 in Syria and over 200,000 in Iran until recently. They absorbed the dominant ideologies in these countries for a short timeframe. Moreover, Armenians had hostility to Jews both on the basis of religious dogma "Jews do not recognize Christ” and also due to centuries-old rivalry between the two nations in trade, services and banking.

Q: What is the reason behind hatred of Armenian nationalities towards Jewish people?

A: Armenian merchant class attempted to incite the government against Jewish merchants even in the times of the Ottoman Empire. They were alarmed and angered by the fact that the Jews "did not have any political goals incompatible with Turks’ interests. They lacked separate political entities” according to the  study "The Status of Jewish communities in the Ottoman Empire" by Irma Fadeyeva..  

Thus, it is not surprising that Armenians, who largely aided and abetted the Nazis during the World War II, were one of the enemies of Israel and Jewish people around the world which is also testified  by irrefutable documents published in monographs by Professor R. Mustafayev "Tango of Death" and "Death march”.

Q: Your institute have collected facts about Armenian terrorist organizations’ cooperation with various Palestinian groupings?  

A: Recently, it became known that many terrorist attacks carried out under the brand name of Palestinian organizations have been actually planned and organized by ethnic Armenians. Thus, capture and killing of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics by the  Black September members  on Sept. 5, 1972 was implemented with the active involvement of ASALA co-founder Hakob Hakobyan. This militant ran away from Beirut in 1982 during the first Lebanon War fearing reprisals from Israel.

Hakop Hakopyan closely worked with terrorists. Since 1973, Armenian militants have been systematically trained, taught art of killing unarmed old men and children. According to secret service Mossad, ASALA had a network of bases in the Trodos Mountains in Cyprus.

Strengthening "brotherhood in arms", the ASALA bandits formally announced an alliance with the most notorious terrorist organization the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in April 20, 1986. Acquiring experience and huge funds from representatives of Armenian business circles, ASALA set activities to spread beyond the Middle East. Its militants carried out attacks not only in Turkey but also in the U.S., France and several European countries.  

In 1987, the Israeli Mossad revealed evidence of close cooperation between ASALA and Hezbollah. The two terrorist organizations planned very sophisticated operation together. For example, on May 11,  2001 a few dozen miles north of Tel Aviv, Israel's air defenses shot down a Cessna which was controlled by Stephen Hovhannes Nikolyan, an ethnic Armenian suicide bomber, according to the Hezbollah press release. The aim was to destroy one of the settlements in Israel. This is reminiscent of the events that took place on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York which saw collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center!

Q: How do global media evaluate impact of Armenian communities on alignment of political forces in Lebanon and Syria?

A:  American journalist Robert Worth wrote that ‘Dashnaksutun’ followers work closely with Hezbollah in the ‘New Russian Word’ newspaper. He wrote that "major Armenian political bloc decided to support alliance of Hezbollah in parliamentary elections in Lebanon in April." According to the author, "It may happen so that vote of Armenians will determine who wins and who loses in what is often called  “the battle by proxy” between the patron of Hezbollah, Iran and the West. This has caused a new wave of attention to the Armenians, an ethnic group devoid of boundaries and spread worldwide.

Worth wrote that "Dashnaksutun’ has become a de facto ally of Syria”, the most reactionary and loyal ally of Iran. Moreover, Armenia provides substantial assistance to Ayatollah’s regime at the state level to develop "systems management and control over long-range missiles, as well as improved chemical and biological weapons” in violation of sanctions imposed on Iran by the international community which is concerned over Iran's nuclear program. Armenian scientists also confirm this fact.  

President of the Armenia National Academy of Sciences Sarkisian has stated that new programs for space exploration are being designed in Harney. International practice of exploration is partly related to creation of long-range missiles.

News published by the Italian newspaper “Corriera Della Sera” about close interests of Yerevan and Tehran following the crash of an Iranian aircraft Tu-154, which, turned out to carry detonators for the Lebanese Hezbollah through Armenia. Very sluggish denial of this fact by Civil Aviation of Armenia and absence of any official reaction leads to very definite ideas.

These suspicions are confirmed also by the August 12, 2009 issue of the "Echo" newspaper which quoted a political adviser to the Israel's security minister, commentator at Israel Plus TV, a former Baku resident and my friend Alex Wexler, who stated that "there is every reason to believe that the version offered by the Italian newspaper is accurate adding that he had information that this is not the first attempt by Iran to carry ammunition for the militant Hezbollah through Armenia and expressed confidence that the Armenian government was aware of transport of weapons.”

Q: Crimes of Armenian nationalists only against Turkish and Azerbaijani peoples were known until now. The recent studies have revealed their sinister role in crimes also against Jewish, Georgian, Lezgin, Avar, Talish and Kurdish people. Do not you believe the topic of Armenian terrorism and crimes against humanity should be studied further given the global nature of the problem?

A: After the tragedy of the Holocaust, we must all closely watch any manifestations of xenophobia and right-wing extremism in order nip them in the bud. No one accepted Hitler seriously either. If Nazis were stopped in 1935, 1938, or even better – they had not been allowed to take power, the world would have a different path. Therefore, their great ideas, nationalism, xenophobia, terrorism and all its manifestations must be focus of attention not occasionally, not from the tragedy to tragedy, but constantly. That is why the Human Rights Institute has always kept updated to latest events and studies the slightest fluctuation in the direction of "threat", trying to warn mankind about the possible disastrous consequences of policy of appeasement and complacency.

/Day.Az/