BY MARSHALL MOUSHIGIAN
Ten years ago this newspaper published my article titled “Israel’s role in Armenian Genocide,” which highlighted and criticized a long-held and well-hidden pillar of its foreign policy. Israel has worked closely with Turkey over the decades to suppress any semblance of genocide justice, not the least of which is simple recognition that it happened. Since denial is the final stage of genocide, this obstructionist stance alone is enough to earn Israel the civilized world’s contempt.
Israel also refuses to recognize the genocide at home, despite overwhelming popular support. Even more shocking is a statement by Arma Jane Karaer, a former high-ranking State Department official who stated that Israel, through its lobby groups in the United States, has taken this shameful and incongruous position because it doesn’t “particularly want to share the genocide label with other groups.” I took a lot of heat for that article; I did not apologize then, have not apologized since, and given Israel’s continued role in the destruction of the Armenian nation, it is worth mentioning again.
A bit of triangulation is needed to understand why Israel’s most recent actions against Armenia, vis-a-vis Artsakh, deserve attention and condemnation: Turkey is a country founded on genocide —Turkey invented and unleashed it on the Armenians in 1915. It is the original sin of that country, so suppressing any mention of the Armenian Genocide is central to its continued existence. Armenia became briefly independent after World War I and was founded by genocide survivors. During the Soviet era Armenia survived and thrived, and the descendants of those genocide survivors now lead the tiny landlocked, and blockaded, nation. Israel was founded by survivors and descendants of the ethnic cleansings of World War II. Armenia and Israel share a key similarity, namely both are genocide survivor states.
A new component to the equation emerged as the Soviet Union was falling and the Armenians of Artsakh, who had repeatedly demanded reunification with Armenia proper, voted to secede. This, in turn, sparked outrage from Azerbaijan, within which Artsakh was improperly placed by Joseph Stalin in 1923. The outrage manifested itself with Armenians raped, pillaged, murdered and driven out by Azeri mobs; in other words, Azerbaijan ethnically cleansed itself of its Armenian population. Mind you, Artsakh was never part of an independent Azerbaijan. Nonetheless, a war was fought during the early 1990s after the Armenians were driven out of Azerbaijan, but in 1994 a cease-fire was signed after Armenian forces not only secured Artsakh, but certain surrounding regions, providing a much-needed buffer zone. The Azeris, like their Turkish brethren, are vehemently anti-Armenian and, as history has proven, will stop at nothing to satisfy their pathologic blood lust to permanently erase Armenians and their rich ancient culture from the map. Turkey and Azerbaijan share a key similarity, namely both are genocide perpetrator states.
So when a bellicose and corrupt petro-dictatorship like Azerbaijan, under the control of its dynastic dictator Ilham Aliyev (he inherited Azerbaijan from his father in 2003, who ruled for 10 years, and his wife is vice president), cannot be cured of its pathology, either diplomatically or otherwise, the “stop at nothing” discussion takes on a whole new degree of concern.
Since 1994 Azerbaijan has shown zero interest in good-faith negotiations for resolving the Artsakh issue. Instead, it has consistently violated the cease-fire and has declared it would take back by force what was never rightfully its own. That came to fruition on Sept. 27 when a full-scale invasion occurred. The attack was preluded by the $3 billion Azeri Laundromat scheme to bribe European legislators and reporters for favorable treatment and coverage. A final cease-fire, heavily favoring Azerbaijan and by extension Turkey, was negotiated by Russia 44 days later.
Enter Israel: Fully aware of the Azeri and Turkish desire to rid the region, once and for all, of its indigenous Armenians, Israel found a highly lucrative opportunity to profit from misery, to the tune of $5 billion worth of arms sales to Azerbaijan over the past few years. Immediately before the invasion and during this war, dozens of cargo flights departed Israel, either directly to Azerbaijan or via Turkey. And we are not talking about rifles and mortar launchers, but rather cluster bombs and suicide drones which, considering how much incidental destruction they cause to civilians, are internationally banned. From Day 1 Azerbaijan deliberately targeted civilians, including schools, hospitals and churches, not to mention engaged in torture and execution of Armenian prisoners; before Day 1 dawned, Azeri money had already flowed into Israel’s coffer.
In response to this outrage, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recalled the Armenian ambassador to Israel where, just one week prior to the Azeri invasion, the opening of the Armenian embassy was announced. When Pashinyan protested the illegal arms sales, an Israeli analyst responded, “It is not our responsibility what (the Azeris) are doing”. He then cut to the chase: “…we have to make sure that we will honor the contracts we make with Azerbaijan.” When tensions rose further, Israeli President Reuven Rifkin, in an act of forced compassion, offered humanitarian relief to the Armenians. Pashinyan responded that the aid should instead be sent to the jihadist mercenaries that Turkey imported from Syria to fight alongside the Azeris.
Speaking of jihadist mercenaries and bedfellows so strange that Larry Flynt would blush, Israel’s military supplies to the Azeris have supported a ground offensive that has been carried out in no small part by terrorists who, on any other day, would happily train their gun sights on Israel and its non-Muslim population. So when Israel supports Azerbaijan with heavy armament, it also supports the same terrorists that most of the civilized and sane world, which one would imagine consists of the United States and Europe, wishes to contain.
Speaking of jihadist mercenaries and bedfellows so strange that Larry Flynt would blush, Israel’s military supplies to the Azeris have supported a ground offensive that has been carried out in no small part by terrorists who, on any other day, would happily train their gun sights on Israel and its non-Muslim population. So when Israel supports Azerbaijan with heavy armament, it also supports the same terrorists that most of the civilized and sane world, which one would imagine consists of the United States and Europe, wishes to contain.
Israel, for its role, is one part proud and one part flippantly indifferent. Prior to Israel joining the fight, Azerbaijan was ill-equipped to battle a superior Armenian army. An Israeli military spokesman crowed “Azerbaijan would not have been able to continue its operation at this level without (Israel’s) support.” The Armenian side has rightly questioned these arms sales, not only in terms of the actual arms, but against whom they are being used, and the manner of use. President Rivlin “expressed sorrow at the outbreak of violence … and loss of life on both sides.”
All-access digital subscription
Read more here: https://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article247568840.html#storylink=cpy
Dr. Sylva Portoian says
Our Dignity is our Wealth,
Our Love and Unity
We are a well-known honest race …
We don’t sell our honesty for a few cents
The world knows who are we…
If you love money…’If you can’ …
take to your graves …
Jesus was a Jew like you
He came to teach you to behave …
But you betrayed him
You tortured… crucified him
Jesus left you
Now you are breathing without dignity
You were holocausted
Now you are holocausting us …!!!
Armenians never harmed you …
Why you harm Armenians …???
For money…!!! Which are papers
and all will burn one day in hell
With your unjust, criminal populaces
Who are destroying Olive Trees
Killing innocent children
Your name is a blacklist in honest hearts …
They cannot say frankly …
But they curse you in their minds
Because you lost principles of humanity
We will never starve
Our dignity, our honesty
Will feed us…
Our name is written by golden letters
on each honest tongue
Hence we ask for peace
We love the world to live in peace…
Sylva Portoian, MD, FRCP
____________________________