GAZA CITY, Palestine
Hamas on Wednesday described a request by Israel's top lawmaker for his government to officially acknowledge the events of 1915 as "genocide" committed against Armenians as an "attempt to gloss over Israeli crimes perpetrated against the Palestinian people."
"Demands by Knesset Speaker for the Israeli government to officially recognize the so-called Armenian genocide aim to cover up Israel's crimes against the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian people and all the peoples of the region," Hamas said in a statement.
It said the request also aimed to turn international public opinion against Turkey, which supports the Palestinian people the their national cause.
On Tuesday, Edelstein reportedly urged his government to revisit its position on – and officially recognize – the so-called "Armenian genocide."
The events of 1915 took place during World War I, when a portion of the Armenian population living in the Ottoman Empire sided with the invading Russian forces and revolted against Ottoman rule.
Following the revolt, the relocation of the Armenians by the Ottomans in eastern Anatolia resulted in numerous casualties.
Turkey does not dispute that there were casualties on both sides, but rejects the term "genocide."
Ankara has called for the establishment of a joint commission of historians and the opening of archives to determine exactly what happened between the Ottoman empire and its Armenian citizens.
