Israeli Knesset abstains from voting on the recognition of the events of 1915 Armenian massacres in order to prevent the escalation of diplomatic relations with Turkey

Israeli media reported on Saturday evening that the ministerial committee of the Israeli Knesset decided to postpone the vote on the recognition of the Armenian claims about the «events of 1915», indefinitely.

The Israeli Channel 2 and Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the committee’s decision came at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, «in order to prevent the escalation of the diplomatic crisis with Turkey».

The channel 2 pointed out that «may be re-draft a bill in this regard in the future before the Ministerial Committee», without specifying a date for it.

It was supposed, according to channel 2, to examine the ministerial committee decision on Sunday, to be submitted to the General Assembly before the Knesset to vote on it.

The drop caused criticism of Netanyahu, accusing him of right-wing MPs of «cowardice» and fear of the threats of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

Last May, Knesset deputies presented the case as part of a diplomatic crisis between Ankara and Tel Aviv following the massacre of unarmed Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Commenting on the move, a spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Aksoi’s protector, said Israel would harm itself, in the first place, if it acknowledged the allegations.

«The events of 1915 are not political, but historical and legal».

Through pressure groups in various countries of the world, Armenians call from time to time to «criminalize» Turkey and hold them responsible for allegations that the Armenian Armenians were subjected to «extermination and displacement» by the Ottoman Empire during the First World War or the «events of 1915».

Turkey asserts that genocide cannot be described as a «tragedy» for both sides.

It says that what happened was a «precautionary displacement» within the territory of the Ottoman Empire because of the Armenian gangs of the Russian army.

Turkey calls for addressing this issue away from political conflicts and interests, solving the issue through the perspective of «fair memory», which means abandoning the one-sided view of history and understanding each other’s experiences.

It also calls for the formation of a committee of Turkish and Armenian historians to study the archives of the 1915 events of Turkey, Armenia and other countries related to these events, to present their results impartially to world public opinion or to any reference recognized by both parties.

However, these Turkish calls were rejected by Armenia, which considers the claims of «genocide» an unquestionable issue.