The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem expresses its profound disappointment that the proposed resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide has been omitted from the list of policies to be voted on by the Knesset of the State of Israel.
It is deeply regrettable that a foreign government appears capable of exerting such influence over the internal deliberations of the State of Israel. That the regime of the Republic of Azerbaijan which stands responsible for the forcible displacement of more than 120,000 indigenous Armenian Christians from Nagorno-Karabakh should possess the capacity to delay or determine what may even be brought before the Knesset for discussion is a matter of grave concern.
We find it especially perplexing that the Aliyev regime appears able to influence both the political calculations of Israeli officials as well as the moral questions the Knesset is prepared to address. The legislative agenda and deliberations of the Knesset are matters that ought to remain the sovereign responsibility of the State of Israel.
The Armenian Genocide is an immutable historical fact. Its truth stands independently of political circumstances and remains firmly established through historical documentation. Therefore, we renew our call to the State of Israel to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide, thereby joining the other thirty-two nations that have formally acknowledged the first genocide of the 20th century. Upon completion, we will welcome the State of Israel’s morally-just recognition as another affirmation of the historical record.
We likewise renew our call to the Republic of Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide and to terminate its active policies and initiatives that seek to obfuscate the historical record. We make this appeal with the conviction that any enduring reconciliation between any two nations may only find a foundation for peace if that peace is rooted in historical truth.
As the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which welcomed countless survivors and orphans seeking refuge in the Holy Land following the Armenian Genocide, we assert our responsibility to preserve the memory of those who suffered and to commit their legacy to future generations.
The memory of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide shall remain eternally preserved in the prayers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, as it is the Armenian Apostolic Church that has borne the responsibility of preservation across the centuries, especially in times when the Armenian nation did not have a government to safeguard its memory and identity.
May the memory of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide remain forever sacred and blessed in the hearts of all Armenians and firmly inside the conscience of mankind.
