by Elad Benari Israelnationalnews.com- Israel’s new Ambassador to Armenia, Shmuel Meirom, recently submitted his credential to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan. While this protocol event would normally not receive much attention, an analysis that appeared in ArmeniaNow suggests that the appointment of new Israeli ambassador to Armenia might mean that a new level in the relations between Armenia and Israel could be reached. According to the analysis, this new level of relations could be a direct result of the recent complications in Turkish-Israeli relations. The report suggests that if Armenian-Israeli relations deepen, the powerful Jewish lobby in the United States could theoretically back the Armenian resolutions on genocide and undermine Turkey. During and after World War I, the Ottoman Empire, whose seat of power became independent Turkey, uprooted Armenians from their homes, and conducted forced marches to the desert of what is today Syria. This became known as the Armenian Genocide. Some 1 to 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered between 1915 and 1923. The Republic of Turkey, however, refuses to acknowledge that the Ottomans indeed performed genocide on the Armenians and attempts to block all recognition of the Armenian debacle. In an article in The Washington Times under the headline “American Jewish community ends support of Turkish interests on [Capitol] Hill”, Eli Lake reminded readers that in 2008, leading Jewish organizations decided that they would no longer block the adoption of the Armenian Genocide resolution in Congress. Lake believed that this was a response to the worsening Israeli-Turkish relations at the time, a circumstance that could very well repeat itself now. Relations between Turkey, a non-Arab Moslem state, and Israel, which were once friendly, have been strained recently, and particularly since last May’s Gaza aid flotilla. Turkey has demanded an apology from Israel for overtaking the Mavi Marmara ship after IDF soldiers were attacked by the so-called peace activists on board. Israel has refused to issue such an apology. Meirom, the new Ambassador to Armenia, is a career diplomat with more than 30 years of experience. Previously, he headed the Israeli Foreign Ministry department for CIS countries, and in recent years was Israel’s ambassador to Croatia. When he handed his credentials to the Armenian president, Meirom said that “cooperation between Armenia and Israel can contribute to peace and prosperity in the region” and assured the Armenian leadership that “Israel wants to raise bilateral relations to an excellent level.” On the flip side, relations between Turkey and Israel have received another blow following reports that Turkey has added Israel to its so-called "Red Book," a top-secret security document that lists the country's threats and enemies. The Los Angeles Timeson Monday quoted Turkish media reporting that the Red Book, a document drawn up by Turkey's National Security Council and amended every five years, now identifies Israel as a "strategic threat" to Turkey, accuses it of being a destabilizing force and says Israeli actions could provoke a regional arms race. There are conflicting reports on whether or not Iran has been removed from the same list. In response to Turkey’s move, Israeli Tourism Minister Stas Misezhnikov called on Israelis to boycott Turkey as a tourist destination out of what he called “national honor.” Turkey had been Israeli tourists favorite spot for vacations, a function of proximity and lower costs than western countries. At the same time and in what some see as a surprising move, Turkey has excluded Armenia from the Red Book. Armenian website NEWS.am quoted Turkish studies expert Ruben Melkonyan who attempted to explain the move and said that while “Armenia cannot be considered as an external threat to Turkey,” Turkey’s actions “pursue far-reaching goals to drive a wedge between Armenia and Diaspora. This step may be followed by a statement indicating that the Armenian Diaspora, not Armenia, is posing a threat from the viewpoint of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.” Melkonyan addressed Turkey’s addition of Israel to the list and noted that by doing so Ankara wants to strengthen its position in the Muslim world by showing that Turkey�’ actions against Israel are intentional and not just demonstrative.

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