Armenians of Jerusalem to hold protest actions in front of Turkish embassy

April 23, 2010 - 20:11 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Representative of Hay Dat of Jerusalem Zhorzheta Avagyan said that on April 24 protest actions will take place in front of the Turkish embassy in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv against the policy of the Armenian Genocide denial. Around 300-400 people will participate in the protest actions, Avagyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

A liturgy for the Armenian Genocide victims will take place in Armenian churches of Israel and Jerusalem Patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church on April 24. The liturgy will bring together Israeli Knesset and government members, as well as representatives of the Armenian community of Jerusalem.

Avagyan reported that Hay Dat representation in Jerusalem sent a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging the Israeli government to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million.

The majority of Armenian Diaspora communities were formed by the Genocide survivors.

Present-day Turkey denies the fact of the Armenian Genocide, justifying the atrocities as “deportation to secure Armenians”. Only a few Turkish intellectuals, including Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk and scholar Taner Akcam, speak openly about the necessity to recognize this crime against humanity.

The Armenian Genocide was recognized by Uruguay, Russia, France, Lithuania, Italy, 45 U.S. states, Greece, Cyprus, Lebanon, Argentina, Belgium, Austria, Wales, Switzerland, Canada, Poland, Venezuela, Chile, Bolivia, the Vatican, Luxembourg, Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands, Paraguay, Sweden, Venezuela, Slovakia, Syria, Vatican, as well as the European Parliament and the World Council of Churches.