Armenian Patriarchate condemns Israel’s suspension of genocide recognition vote, raises concerns over foreign influence
JERUSALEM — The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressed its “profound disappointment” after a proposed resolution calling for the official recognition of the Armenian Genocide was removed from the agenda of measures scheduled for a vote in the Israeli Knesset. The Patriarchate said the decision raises serious questions about the independence of Israel’s decision-making process and has reignited political and diplomatic debate over one of the region’s most sensitive historical issues.
In an official statement issued by the Patriarchate Chancellery on 26 July 2026, the Patriarchate described the removal of the resolution from the Knesset agenda as an “unfortunate” development, saying that what it characterized as the influence of a foreign government over Israel’s internal deliberations was “deeply regrettable.”
The statement accused the Republic of Azerbaijan of exerting political influence that contributed to preventing the resolution from reaching the Knesset floor. It argued that Baku, which it held responsible for the “forced displacement of more than 120,000 indigenous Armenian Christians from Nagorno-Karabakh,” should not be able to influence matters under consideration by the Israeli parliament.
The Knesset had been expected to vote on a resolution recognizing the 1915 Armenian Genocide. The postponement
An Israeli official said the vote was postponed shortly before the Knesset’s summer recess and ahead of the national elections scheduled for 27 October, leaving last month’s unanimously approved cabinet decision without the force of formal state recognition.
The Patriarchate expressed concern over what it described as the Azerbaijani government’s ability to influence both the political considerations of Israeli officials and the issues debated in the Knesset. It argued that determining the Knesset’s agenda should remain the sovereign responsibility of the State of Israel.
The Patriarchate also renewed its call for Israel to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide, describing it as an established historical fact supported by extensive documentation and evidence, regardless of changing political circumstances.
The statement added that Israeli recognition would place the country alongside dozens of other states that have officially recognized what Armenia describes as the first genocide of the twentieth century, calling such recognition “another affirmation of the historical record.”
The Patriarchate also addressed Turkey, renewing its appeal for Ankara to recognize the Armenian Genocide and urging it to end what it described as policies aimed at “obfuscating the historical record.”
It argued that lasting reconciliation between nations can only be achieved through acknowledgment of historical truth, emphasizing that genuine peace must be built upon truth and historical justice.
The statement also reviewed the historical role of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, noting that it received thousands of survivors and orphans who sought refuge in the Holy Land following the events of 1915. As a result, it said, the Patriarchate has borne a lasting responsibility to preserve the memory of the victims and pass it on to future generations.
It added that the Armenian Apostolic Church has, for centuries, safeguarded Armenian identity and national memory, particularly during periods when the Armenian nation lacked an independent state capable of protecting its history and heritage.
The Patriarchate concluded by affirming that the memory of the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide will remain “eternally preserved” in the prayers of the Armenian Church and in the conscience of the Armenian people, while expressing hope that it will also endure in the conscience of humanity as a whole.
