The Israeli Knesset cancels a vote on a bill recognizing the “genocide” of the Armenians
A draft law recognizing the «Armenian genocide» at the hands of the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, scheduled for Tuesday in the Knesset, was canceled due to government opposition to the initiative.
«The government and the coalition refuse to recognize the genocide of Armenians, so they were forced to cancel the vote», said Tamar Zandberg of the opposition left-wing Meretz party, which was behind the initiative.
At the end of May, members of the Israeli parliament approved a motion to hold a «meeting to recognize the Armenian genocide» at the hands of Ottoman forces during World War I amid deteriorating relations between Israel and Turkey.
Although this will not be seen as a step by the Israeli government, it could further worsen the already strained relations with Turkey.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Israel for the violence on the border with Gaza, which killed dozens of Palestinians, with the transfer of the US embassy to Jerusalem, accusing the Jewish state as a «state of terrorism» practicing «genocide».
