TAAL Calls on Israel to Recognize the Armenian Genocide
Truth And Accountability League (TAAL) Calls on Israel to Recognize the Armenian Genocide
The Truth And Accountability League (TAAL) calls on the State of Israel to take a principled and historic step by officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Recognition is not only an acknowledgment of truth but also an affirmation of the shared values of justice, memory, and humanity that unite Armenians and Jews.
As Armenians and Jews, our histories are profoundly linked through the two great genocides of the twentieth century: the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust. The same machinery of dehumanization and impunity that enabled one inspired the other. To remain silent now dishonors both.
Why Recognition Matters
Historical Fact:
Between 1915 and 1923, the Ottoman Turkish Empire systematically exterminated 1.5 million Armenians, marking the first genocide of the twentieth century. The evidence is overwhelming, documented by eyewitnesses, diplomats, missionaries, and scholars worldwide.
Global Recognition:
Today, over 35 nations, including the United States, France, Germany, Canada, and the Vatican, have officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. Israel, a nation born from the ashes of the Holocaust, should join this moral consensus.
Shared Trauma and Kinship:
Armenians and Jews share a deep bond rooted in survival, memory, and moral responsibility. Both peoples endured unspeakable persecution, displacement, and genocide. Recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Israel would honor that kinship and reaffirm the commitment to “Never Again.”
Moral and Historical Connection:
- Ambassador Henry Morgenthau, the U.S. Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire during World War I, was a Jewish American who courageously documented and protested the atrocities against Armenians.
- Raphael Lemkin,the Jewish-Polish jurist who coined the term genocide, did so after studying the Armenian Genocide and later the Holocaust.
- Franz Werfel, an Austrian Jewish author, memorialized Armenian heroism in his landmark novel The Forty Days of Musa Dagh, inspiring Jews resisting the Nazis during World War II.
- Adolf Hitler, before invading Poland in 1939, infamously told his officers, “Who, after all, speaks today of the extermination of the Armenians?” That statement alone demonstrates the catastrophic cost of denial.
Moral Leadership:
Israel’s moral authority as a beacon of remembrance and justice carries weight beyond politics. Recognition would reaffirm the values on which the State of Israel was founded and demonstrate solidarity with all people who have suffered genocide and persecution.
A Call to Conscience:
Recognition is not an act against any nation. It is an act in defense of truth. As history has shown, denial perpetuates impunity, while acknowledgment paves the way for reconciliation and healing.
The Truth And Accountability League (TAAL) urges Israel’s leadership, Knesset members, and civil society to act with moral courage and finally recognize the Armenian Genocide. This is not merely about history; it is about human dignity, shared values, and the responsibility to remember truthfully.
Recognition strengthens the bond between Armenians and Jews and honors the legacy of those who stood up for humanity when it mattered most.
About TAAL
Truth and Accountability League (TAAL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization with roots in defending Armenian identity and culture. Today, TAAL has grown into a broader platform dedicated to combating hate, discrimination, and disinformation affecting marginalized communities, including women, LGBTQ+ individuals, ethnic and cultural minorities, and other underrepresented groups.
TAAL monitors and challenges bias across media, academia, public policy, and cultural institutions. The organization provides educational programs, resources, and training to empower communities and individuals with the knowledge and tools to recognize, confront, and prevent prejudice, disinformation, and harmful narratives.
Our mission is to advance equity, promote accountability, and foster understanding, ensuring that all communities, including those of Armenian heritage, are represented, respected, and supported.
