Perhaps the main reason – widely acknowledged by Jewish and Israeli analysts and numerous other experts – are agreements that were signed in the 1990’s between Turkey and Israel in areas such as economic trade, defense, and intelligence.
Israel, at Turkey’s request, agreed that some of the leading American Jewish organizations would lobby in Washington, DC on behalf of Turkey. Lobbying against Armenian-Americans, particularly against Armenian genocide resolutions, was part of that agreement.
Also, the ADL has argued that acknowledging the Armenian Genocide would jeopardize the safety of the Jewish population of Turkey. This argument is tantamount to appeasing terrorists. Additionally, there are a number of logical flaws in this contention that expose its unfounded basis:
• The ADL has bestowed a number of awards upon the leadership of Turkey emphasizing the country’s magnificent history of tolerance and openness. Many Turkish-Jews, such as prominent businessman Jak Kamhi, have echoed these points. Thus, if Turkey has been and continues to be such a tolerant place, then why would one worry about the safety of Turkish-Jews?
• The ADL rightfully condemns the reprehensible statements coming from Iran’s leadership regarding the Holocaust. Is the ADL not worried about the safety of the 20,000 or so Iranian-Jews living in Iran? Surely, if Iranian-Jews are safe enough for the UN, the U.S., Israel, and other world bodies’ condemnation of Mr. Ahmadinejad’s Holocaust denial, then Turkish-Jews are most definitely safe given the ADL’s assertions of Turkey’s magnificent history of tolerance.
• Jack Nusan Porter, the Secretary of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, a scholar and former Rabbi, states that this issue is simply a “red herring.” (Read the Armenian Weekly interview with Jack Nusan Porter)
Here is what a Boston Globe editorial (August 18, 2007) says:
The ADL says it is worried about the fate of the Jewish community in Turkey and Turkey's strategic relationships with the United States and Israel. But Turkey's treatment of its Jewish minority and its foreign policy shouldn't depend on a historical lie. If the national ADL doesn't acknowledge the genocide, it is complicit in a cover-up.