Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has backtracked on recognising the Armenian genocide, blocking the vote from the Knesset, only a month after the government was hailed by some for approving a proposal in parliament on the matter.
Israeli sources said Netanyahu’s decision to block the vote from the Knesset was due to pressure from Azerbaijan, Haaretz reported.
The decision from the government comes after Hikmat Hajiyev, an advisor to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, contacted Netanyahu’s office.
The Israeli government then informed officials in Azerbaijan that the issue had been swiftly removed from the Knesset’s agenda and would not be voted on.
Last month, a proposal on recognising the Armenian genocide was submitted by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and while it still needed ratification by the Knesset, officials in Tel Aviv praised it.
However, at the time, commentators and analysts told The New Arab that the move from Israel was “opportunistic” and ironic, as it was seen as a rebuke to Turkey and came while Tel Aviv continues to bomb Gaza indiscriminately.
The Azerbaijani government last month issued a formal condemnation of Israel’s decision to recognise the Armenian genocide, demanding it be reconsidered.
The foreign ministry said the recognition represented “the distortion of the historical facts surrounding the events of 1915″ and reduced “a complex historical issue to a political decision without a sound legal or scholarly basis.”
Last week, Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev also hosted Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa at his palace in Baku, a move Israel sees as a snub.
After the meeting, a statement from Azerbaijan’s presidency said that it supports the establishment of a Palestinian state with occupied East Jerusalem as the capital, referring to it as the Arabic name of “Al-Quds al-Sharif” or “The Noble Jerusalem”. The statement further detailed that Azerbaijan continues to assist Palestinians through the UN agency UNRWA and plans to build a school in the occupied West Bank.
While Israel views Baku as an important partner, particularly as it relies on Azerbaijan for oil, some commentators believe this marks a cooling of relations between the two.
Azerbaijan takes the same position as Turkey regarding the Armenian genocide.
Turkey states that Armenians and Turks died as a result of World War One, denying accusations and putting the death toll at hundreds of thousands, rather than the often cited 1.5 million. It also continues to reject calls to formally recognise it as a genocide.
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