Saturday, January 20, 2007

"We are All Armenians!"

Apparently, if we want a lesson it how to get beyond our prejudices, the place to look this weekend is Turkey. The assassination of Hrant Dink appears to have plunged the Turkish population into the sort of self-examination that Yosef Lapid has been trying to foist on his fellow Israelis. This was perhaps most apparent when 5000 protestors gathered in Istanbul and chanted:

We are all Armenians, We are all Hrant Dink.

Even the remarks of the Prime Minister seemed to recognize not only that this was a hate crime but also who the more general target of the hatred was. Considering how silent "official" Turkey has been about the Armenian genocide, this has all been extremely impressive language. I hope that Lapid can take some gratification in the way in which the news has provided a strong object lesson for the case he has been trying to make; but, more important to my own country, I just hope that any politician that wants to "play the audacity card" is willing to take a good look at those with the courage to actually play the game!

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