Israel’s Recognition of Armenian Genocide Sparks Crisis with Azerbaijan
The Israeli government’s June 28 decision to recognize the Armenian Genocide has caused a deep crisis in relations between Israel and Azerbaijan.
The Israeli news website Ynet, citing officials familiar with the relationship between the two countries, reports that despite the lack of public statements, tensions are running high.
The newspaper’s sources note that Baku views the move as “crossing a red line by Israel” and believes that “failed to reciprocate the support Azerbaijan has shown Israel since the outbreak of the war.”
According to the officials, the Azerbaijani leadership is deeply disappointed with how the decision to recognize the Armenian Genocide was adopted and the signal that the decision sends. They added that Azerbaijan believes the Israeli Foreign Minister contacted his Azerbaijani counterpart only after the decision was made public, making the exchange seem more like a notification than a consultation.
“They spoke only after the move had already been announced, so from the Azerbaijani perspective this was a fait accompli, not a dialogue,” the officials said according to Ynet.
Azerbaijani officials claim that the same people who accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza also accused Azerbaijan of “ethnic cleansing.” For this reason, as Ynet writes, the Azerbaijani side expected Israel to “show particular sensitivity and avoid a move they see as lending support to the Armenian narrative of the history between the countries.”
“It seems that Israel did not understand Azerbaijan’s sensitivity. For Baku, this is a red line. Despite the international campaign and the pressure exerted on it, Azerbaijan did not speak out against Israel in the cases of Gaza, Lebanon, or Iran. The Azerbaijanis feel Israel did not respond with the same level of consideration,” said one Azerbaijani official, adding that Baku is asking why Israel is ruining its relations with one of its closest partners.
“This is a country with almost no antisemitism, where Israeli tourism is flourishing and whose national airline has added flights between Baku and Tel Aviv,” the Azerbaijani official said. “From the Azerbaijani point of view, the Israeli decision was unnecessary and damaged trust built over many years.”
Ynet cites its sources as saying that the last time the Knesset considered holding a debate on the Armenian Genocide, then-Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid contacted his Azerbaijani counterparts in advance and listened to their objections. Later, it was decided not to make a public statement.
The officials added that both Azerbaijan and Armenia believe that this recognition by Israel only harms the peace agreement between the two countries and serves the interests of Russia and Iran.
Baku hopes that this crisis will not deepen and expects that it will not appear on the Knesset agenda, or at least not be put to a vote.
Photo: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov/Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Press Service
