LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF ISRAEL REGARDING THE HOLODOMOR
On May 5, 2009, the Ukrainian World Congress sent a letter regarding the Holodomor to the Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu.
The letter addresses a statement reported to have been made by Mr. Pinhas Avivi, deputy director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry in charge of relations with Russia, concerning the 1932-1933 Holodomor in Ukraine. As quoted on January 28, 2009 by ITAR-TASS, Russia's state central information agency, Mr. Avivi stated: "We regard the 'holodomor' as a tragedy but in no case do we call it genocide. We describe it as the tragedy in which the peoples of Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and of other countries suffered, and we accept Russia's wording. The Holocaust is the only genocide to us."
The letter points out that Mr. Pinhas Avivi's statement not only denies current indisputable evidence that the Holodomor was in fact a genocide perpetrated against the Ukrainian people, but also repudiates the same finding made by the renowned scholar Dr. Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term "genocide" and inspired the UN 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
In the letter, the Ukrainian World Congress asks the Prime Minister of Israel whether Mr. Pinhas Avivi's published statement is accurate and, if so, whether it reflects the official position of Israel's new government with respect to the Holodomor.
Ukrainian World Congress
145 Evans Ave., #207
Toronto, ON
M8X 5X8 Canada
Tel. (416) 323-3020
Fax (416) 323-3250
E-mail: congress@look.ca
Website: www.ukrainianworldcongress.org |
