Israeli parliament votes against recognizing genocide against Yezidis

Israeli parliament votes against recognizing genocide against Yezidis

The Israeli parliament on Wednesday rejected the formal recognition of the genocide against Yezidis (Ezidis) that occurred in northern Iraq in 2014.

In August 2014, the Islamic State (IS) carried out mass executions against the Ezidi ethnoreligious minority in northern Iraq. Thousands of the minority group were subjected to atrocities and mass executions for many years at the hands of the extremist group after they overran Sinjar (Shingal).

The bill introduced by opposition lawmaker, Ksenia Svetlova, was rejected by the Israeli parliament.

“It’s shameful that the coalition decided to vote against this bill. By voting against it, it also voted against the moral grounds on which Israel was created. We, as Jews and Israelis, are supposed to be the first to recognize atrocities that are held against any other group,” Svetlova told he Israeli parliament on Wednesday rejected the formal recognition of the genocide against Yezidis (Ezidis) that occurred in northern Iraq in 2014.

In August 2014, the Islamic State (IS) carried out mass executions against the Ezidi ethnoreligious minority in northern Iraq. Thousands of the minority group were subjected to atrocities and mass executions for many years at the hands of the extremist group after they overran Sinjar (Shingal).

The bill introduced by opposition lawmaker, Ksenia Svetlova, was rejected by the Israeli parliament.

“It’s shameful that the coalition decided to vote against this bill. By voting against it, it also voted against the moral grounds on which Israel was created. We, as Jews and Israelis, are supposed to be the first to recognize atrocities that are held against any other group,” Svetlova told Kurdistan 24.

“And, of course, I will put this bill to vote again, as soon as I can. I will continue pushing for this recognition until we get there. This is my moral duty,” she added.

Jerusalem-based journalist, Seth Frantzman, told Kurdistan 24 that the “bill to recognize the [Ezidi] genocide,” introduced by Svetlova, initially had “support across the political spectrum.”

“However, when it came to a preliminary vote, it failed 58-38, and the entire governing coalition opposed it. This indicates that they felt it was a threat for some reason because commemorating genocide should be a consensus issue, not a political issue,” Frantzman explained.

He added that Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely claimed that Israel should not recognize the genocide when the UN had yet to do so.

“This is ironic given that Israel often condemns the UN. It appears that the government coalition didn’t want to create a precedent of recognizing genocide. It isn’t the first time this was politicized; the Armenian genocide has often been treated like a political football in Israel, always raised when relations with Turkey are sour and then forgotten after,” he noted.

“In my view, this is a shameful day for Israel’s Knesset. For the [Ezidis], as a vulnerable and small minority, recognizing the ongoing and horrid suffering they have gone through would be a symbolic and important gesture for Israel to do. It should never have become a political issue.” 

Pari Ibrahim, founder and executive director of the Free Yezidi Foundation, as voiced her frustration regarding the decision. 

“We are very disappointed and surprised by this decision from the Knesset. Jewish people, in general, have been very supportive of [Ezidi] rights after 2014, especially Jewish Americans,” she told Kurdistan 24.

“We would have expected better from Israel, especially after the US Holocaust Museum did find this to be a genocide against our people. Even so, we appreciate and respect the Jewish community as a minority religious group in the Middle East, and they will make a better decision in the Knesset one day,” she argued.

Ido Baba Sheikh, a Ezidi leader and activist, told Kurdistan 24, that the “Ezidis are a small religious minority and doesn’t play a role in political games in our region.”

He suggested that political interests that do not include the protection of minorities affected the decision. 

“Israel has its own interests, and I think Israel and its partners do not think about small minorities such as the Ezidis.”

Editing by Nadia Riva