WASHINGTON A key Jewish lawmaker urged passage of a resolution recognizing the Ottoman genocide against Armenians.
The endorsement by US Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, at the outset of his committees hearing on March 4 reflected growing Jewish, pro-Israel and congressional distancing from Turkey because of recent tensions with Israel.
Turkey is a vital and, in most respects, a loyal ally of the US in a volatile region, Berman said.
We have also been a loyal ally to Turkey, and should continue to be so. Be that as it may, nothing justifies Turkeys turning a blind eye to the reality of the Armenian genocide.
Such language is unusually blunt. In the past, the pro-Israel community has lobbied hard against previous attempts to pass similar resolutions, citing warnings from Turkish officials that it could harm the alliance not only with the US but with Israel although Israel has always tried to avoid mentioning the WW I-era genocide.
In the last year or so, however, officials of American pro-Israel groups have said that while they will not support new resolutions, they will no longer oppose them, citing Turkeys heightened rhetorical attacks on Israel and a flourishing of outright anti-Semitism the government has done little to stem.
That has lifted the fetters for lawmakers like Berman, who had been loath to abet in the denial of a genocide. Berman and a host of other members of the Houses unofficial Jewish caucus have signed on as co-sponsors.
The bill is a victory as well for lawmakers from California, the home of a substantial Armenian community.
US Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the House speaker, is known to sympathize with the resolutions sentiments, although she has kept it from making it to the House floor for a full vote.
The non-binding resolution would not carry legal weight, but would set a precedent for US officialdom to use the word genocide in describing the massacres.
Turkey slashed ties with France for a few years after its legislature passed a similar resolution.
