[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4197]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TURKEY'S GENOCIDE HYPOCRISY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PALLONE. On Saturday, February 7, The Washington Post reported 
that a Turkish Islamic-oriented human rights group, the Association of 
Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples, known as Mazlum-Der, 
initiated a probe to investigate if war crimes and genocide were 
committed by Israel during the recent Gaza conflict.
  I was startled to read that Mazlum-Der plans to investigate 19 
Israelis, including Prime Minister Olmert, President Peres, Foreign 
Minister Tzipi Livni, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, for 
orchestrating genocide. For a Nation that for 94 years has practiced 
widespread genocide denial of the killing of 1.5 million Armenians, 
hypocrisy runs deep today in Ankara.
  Last week, I expressed my concerns regarding Turkey's recent rash of 
anti-Semitism, but this probe is going too far. Israel did not commit 
genocide, but this has not stopped Ankara's chief prosecutor from 
launching this war crimes probe.
  The probe out of Turkey will investigate Israel's actions in the Gaza 
conflict to see if they amount to ``genocide, torture and crimes 
against humanity.'' If the prosecutor finds evidence against the 
Israeli leaders, under Turkish law, they can be detained if they enter 
Turkey.
  The absurdity of this probe and of the fact that Turkey is issuing 
that it must be exposed. Israel did not commit genocide. Israel was not 
attempting to eliminate the Palestinian people. Israel was protecting 
itself from the hundreds of bombs Hamas has been shooting into its 
cities.
  Mazlum-Der has no ground to stand on, and Turkey has no ground to 
stand on. Neither this NGO nor the Turkish Government has ever 
attempted to discuss the truth of the Armenian genocide, nor has Turkey 
or Mazlum-Der taken action against the present genocide that continues 
to rage in Darfur.
  While Israelis are defending themselves against constant attacks from 
Hamas, Mazlum-Der insists this is genocide. How can this organization 
accuse Israel of committing genocide when it has yet to categorize the 
thousands of killings in Darfur as genocide?
  The Turkish people need to step back and question their skewed 
understanding of genocide. Look in the mirror. Look at your own 
history. Come to terms with the fact that 1.5 million Armenians died 
and that, when contemporary genocides, like Darfur, take place, they 
should be denounced.
  Instead of denouncing it, Turkey's relationship with Sudan is strong. 
Last year, Turkish President Abdullah Gul warmly welcomed Sudanese 
President Omar al-Bashir to Ankara. Yet al-Bashir continues to preside 
over a genocidal regime responsible for the deaths of 300,000 Sudanese 
people in the Darfur region of the country.
  Today, 2.7 million Darfuris have lost their homes since the conflict 
and now live in internally displaced persons' camps. While all of this 
happens, President Gul of Turkey has said that the situation in Darfur 
adds up to a ``humanitarian tragedy'' caused by economic difficulties.
  Now, this watering down of state-sponsored government killing is an 
affront to the thousands who have perished in Darfur. Yet a Turkish 
organization is investigating genocide in Israel? What hypocrisy.
  President Gul greeted the Sudanese leader with a military guard of 
honor only bestowed on Turkey's closest allies. While the international 
community fiercely works to contain al-Bashir's government, Turkey 
embraces it. Both governments have a long history of genocide denial.
  Mr. Speaker, the Republic of Turkey has had 94 years to recognize the 
Armenian genocide perpetrated on their soil in 1915. Like the Sudanese 
Government, the Turkish Government's state-sponsored ethnic cleansing 
of the Armenians in the early 20th century left 1.5 million Armenians 
tortured, murdered and displaced. Yet, to this day, the Republic of 
Turkey continues to deny the slaughter of the Armenians--instead, 
launching an absurd investigation into Israel.
  If Turkey and its NGOs want to take a stand against genocide, they 
should not be pointing at Israel, nor should Turkish Prime Minister 
Erdogan be threatening Israel with comments like these:
  ``Allah will sooner or later punish those who transgress the rights 
of innocents.''
  Well, if Turkey wants to move closer to the West, it should practice 
some self-reflection on its own history regarding the Armenian genocide 
and help to end the genocide in Darfur.

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