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American Jewish Community Ends Support of Turkish Interests on Hill

(Washington Times) Eli Lake - In October 2000, the Turks called up Keith Weissman, a senior researcher from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and asked him to help block a resolution in the House of Representatives commemorating the Armenian genocide. The last-minute push worked, and the full Congress has yet to take up the matter to this day. But the American Jewish community is no longer helping Turkey, after a tumultuous deterioration of ties between Israel and Turkey in the past four years. In 1982, when Israel invaded southern Lebanon, its army destroyed training camps affiliated with the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, a terrorist organization responsible for the slayings of Turkish diplomats. Relations between the two countries blossomed. Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said, "The Turks happen to have a government that is extremist, that has chosen a path that is violative of the past relationship. It has been a steady process, not just related to the most recent incident. This began with the election of this Islamist government in 2002." Today, far from being an asset for Turkey, the American Jewish community appears to becoming a potent foe of Turkish interests in Washington. "Every day there is another provocation. Every day the Turkish government goes out of its way to be insulting to Israel and another link is broken," said Abe Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League.
2010-06-09 08:53:45
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