Discussions are underway in Israel regarding the recognition of the “Armenian genocide”. The Israeli government is already preparing to submit the current decision to the Knesset. Azerbaijan immediately reacted to the issue. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry called on Israel to reconsider the decision.
Political scientist from Israel Igor Roytapel told Modern.az that although this issue is not considered one of the main topics on the agenda in Israeli society, Azerbaijan's role as a strategic partner is widely accepted:
"At the level of public opinion in Israel, the issue of recognizing the “Armenian genocide” is almost not associated with Azerbaijan. On the contrary, Azerbaijan is considered one of Israel's most important strategic partners in the fields of security, energy and regional stability. For this reason, a significant part of society does not fully understand how such a decision could affect bilateral relations with Azerbaijan.”
According to Igor Roytapel, the main discussions in Israel focused on the possible impact of the decision on relations with Turkey:
"However, a part of expert and analytical circles believes that the strategic nature of Israeli-Azerbaijani relations and possible consequences were not sufficiently taken into account when the decision was discussed. Changes in the region also affected the process. The end of the active phase of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and the transition of the parties to negotiations on a peace agreement are considered by a number of political circles as a reduction of previous risks. Supporters of this initiative believe that this factor significantly weakened the previously existing political obstacles and made it possible to bring the issue back to the agenda.”
Igor Roytapel noted that representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora living in Israel, public activists and individuals from Azerbaijan approach this issue more sensitively than the average Israeli citizen:
“They appeal to the government and Knesset members, calling for a reconsideration of this approach. According to these individuals, such a decision could harm the strategic partnership between Israel and Azerbaijan. These circles more clearly understand how sensitive the issue is for Azerbaijani society and the long-term consequences it could create for bilateral relations. In general, this topic is not among the main daily issues of Israeli society. For most Israeli citizens, national security, domestic policy, economy and regional stability issues are more prioritized. Therefore, the discussions around the recognition of the "Armenian genocide" are mainly political and diplomatic in nature and do not reflect the general public consensus formed in Israeli society.”
The political scientist believes that the position of the Azerbaijani side and the activity of Azerbaijani-born Jews living in Israel can influence the re-evaluation of the issue:
“I have no doubt that as a result of the activity of Azerbaijani-born Jews living in Israel, as well as Azerbaijan's position, the Israeli government will re-evaluate the situation and make the necessary adjustments."
