Amid Azerbaijan’s diplomatic objections, the planned vote in the Israeli parliament (Knesset) on the official recognition of the so-called «Armenian genocide» did not take place. This was reported in a detailed article published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
According to the publication, following diplomatic contacts with Baku, the issue was removed from the parliamentary agenda. It is reported that after Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan for Foreign Policy Affairs, appealed to the Office of the Israeli Prime Minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prevented the vote from taking place. Notably, Netanyahu had previously voted in favor of the decision during a cabinet meeting.
The government approved the decision, but no parliamentary vote was held
On June 28, the Israeli government unanimously approved, at the initiative of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, a decision recognizing the events that took place in the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century as genocide. However, for the decision to enter into full legal force, it also required approval by the Knesset.
Nevertheless, the issue was not put to a vote before the end of the parliament’s summer session and remained off the agenda.
Baku objected to the decision
Azerbaijan immediately protested the decision of the Israeli government. On June 29, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued an official statement calling on Israel to reconsider its decision.
The statement noted that the politicization of the events of 1915 does not contribute to reconciliation in the region and could negatively affect the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the ongoing negotiations on a peace agreement.
Azerbaijan’s Jewish community also voiced its opposition
Representatives of Azerbaijan’s Jewish community also opposed the decision.
According to Israeli media reports, Rabbi Zamir Isayev, head of the Baku Sephardic Jewish Community, sent letters to members of parliament representing Israel’s religious parties Shas and United Torah Judaism, urging them to take into account the possible impact of the decision on Azerbaijan–Israel relations.
He emphasized that Azerbaijan is one of Israel’s closest and most reliable partners, recalling the country’s longstanding support for the Jewish community and the strategic partnership established between the two states. Later, the leaders of Azerbaijan’s other Jewish communities also sent similar appeals to members of the Knesset.
Religious parties prevented the bill from being adopted
Israel’s religious parties played the key role in preventing the vote from taking place. They had announced in advance that they would vote against the bill. It is also reported that some opposition political forces adopted the same position.
According to sources, the ruling Likud Party chose to remove the bill from the parliamentary agenda after concluding that it would not receive sufficient support in the Knesset.
Haaretz notes that a similar attempt was made last summer as well, but the vote was postponed after an Azerbaijani official called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.