The World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) has formally recognised the Armenian Genocide at its 44th World Congress in Israel, after a Jewish-Australian advocate, Ariel Zohar was among the key speakers for the motion, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).

Zohar, who was behind the recent Victorian Young Labor motion recognising the Armenian Genocide, was joined in his advocacy of this historic motion by Aaron Meyer and Yos Tarshish.

ANC-AU Executive Director Haig Kayserian thanked the WUJS on this important statement for human rights.

“We thank Ariel Zohar and his colleagues at the World Union of Jewish Students Congress for passing a motion that does not only recognise the genocide committed against the Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians of the Ottoman Empire, it also ‘condemns’ and ‘rejects’ any ‘attempt to deny, distort, or ignore the historical reality of this genocide’,” Kayserian said.

“This sends a strong message to the governments of Israel, and others like Australia, that human rights are not there to be bargained for diplomatic gain, no matter the circumstance,” he added.