Expert: Armenian genocide recognition is a lever in Israel’s hand

The Armenian Genocide recognition issue to be discussed in October at the Israeli Ksennet is simply a card in Tel Aviv’s hands to be played as countermeasure against Turkey, experts say.

Turkey-Israel relations got tense when Israel refused to officially apologize for the deaths of Turkish citizens caused by an Israeli assault against the Mavi Marmara ship – part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. Turkey responded by deporting three Israeli diplomats and freezing all military and economic relations.

Specialist in Turkish studies Arestakes Simavoryan, leading Noravank Educational-Foundation’s Center for Armenology (Armenian studies), says Israel is using the Armenian Genocide recognition issue as a political lever in the period of tensions with Turkey.

He believes that Turkey has levers to counteract against Israel, namely Palestine’s recognition and trade-economic and military-technological cooperation with Arab countries. And Israel has its levers against Turkey.

“Recently Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman has stated that they would hit at Turkey’s most vulnerable [painful] spots, using the Armenian Genocide recognition and the Kurdish case,” says Simavoryan, adding that Israel is not ready yet to recognize the Armenian genocide. “By doing so Israel would get completely isolated from the region.”

Although Simavoryan does not exclude risk factors for Armenia, since it would mean that Turkey-Israel deteriorated relations would be again on the same level.

“One shouldn’t have high hopes for this little discussion, metaphorically speaking it would mean an earthquake of a 4.5-point magnitude by which Israel will try to put pressure on Turkey,” he says.