Jerusalem, July 13 – The Israeli parliament (Knesset) has postponed a vote on a bill that would formally recognize the 1915 events as an alleged «Armenian genocide».
According to reports, the Israeli Cabinet of Ministers unanimously supported the bill prepared at the initiative of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar at the end of June. However, although Knesset approval was required for the bill to become law, the vote was removed from parliament’s agenda at the last moment.
Israeli officials have not yet provided an official explanation for the decision. Local media and political analysts link the postponement of the vote to Israel’s regional diplomatic interests, relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, and the current geopolitical situation in the Middle East. It is reported that the Knesset will enter summer recess in the coming days, and it remains unclear when the bill will be reconsidered, given the elections scheduled to take place in the country.
Recall that Israel has long refrained from formally recognizing the 1915 events as an «Armenian genocide.» The main reasons cited include the preservation of relations with Turkey, regional geopolitical factors, as well as strategic partnership with Azerbaijan and close political and economic ties. A number of political experts believe that Azerbaijan’s diplomatic position and the strategic partnership between Baku and Tel Aviv played an important role in the removal of the bill from the Knesset’s agenda.
It should be noted that Jewish communities operating in Azerbaijan previously appealed to the Knesset on this matter. In their appeal, Israeli lawmakers were urged to consider the Azerbaijan-Israel strategic partnership when discussing the bill on the recognition of the alleged «Armenian genocide» and to oppose its adoption.