Netanyahu Personally Stopped Armenian Genocide Bill After Call From Aliyev’s Senior Adviser, Israeli Newspaper Reports

Israel removed a bill recognizing the Armenian Genocide from the Knesset agenda after direct pressure from Azerbaijan, according to a report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The Israeli government had unanimously approved the measure in late June at the initiative of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. The bill still required a vote in the Knesset before it could become law.

The move was widely seen as a diplomatic message to Turkey, whose relations with Israel have sharply deteriorated over the war in Gaza. Turkish officials have repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in the Palestinian territory.

But the recognition effort stalled after Hikmet Hajiyev, a senior foreign policy adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, contacted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Haaretz reported, citing an Israeli source familiar with the matter.

Netanyahu then personally intervened to stop the bill from moving forward, according to the newspaper.

The proposal was removed shortly before the Knesset began its parliamentary recess last Friday, leaving little chance for the issue to return before Israel’s next national election. The delay could push recognition off the political agenda indefinitely.

Azerbaijan had openly objected to the Israeli government’s initial decision. Baku has long opposed international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and maintains close political, military and cultural ties with Turkey.

At the same time, Azerbaijan is one of Israel’s most important regional partners. Much of Israel’s oil is supplied by Azerbaijan through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline before being shipped across the Mediterranean.

Azerbaijan is also a major buyer of Israeli weapons and military technology. Israeli-made systems were widely used by Azerbaijani forces during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.

Haaretz also cited the broader security relationship between the two countries. CNN reported in June that Israeli forces had operated from Azerbaijani territory during U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran that began in February.

Saar rejected the suggestion that the government had reversed its position under outside pressure.

“There is a government decision [to recognize the Genocide], and it was adopted unanimously,” Saar told Haaretz. “It will not change, and that is the important and historic fact.”

The report adds weight to earlier claims that Azerbaijan played a role in blocking the legislation. Azerbaijan’s state-run APA news agency had previously reported similar allegations in the Greek press but did not provide details about Baku’s involvement.

Turkey and Azerbaijan both criticized Israel’s decision to recognize the Armenian Genocide, though Baku’s official response used more measured language.

“The distortion of historical facts surrounding the events of 1915 and the reduction of a complex historical issue to a political decision without a solid legal or scientific basis is unacceptable,” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said. “We call on the Israeli government to reconsider this decision.”

The Armenian Genocide refers to the systematic killing and deportation of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire beginning in 1915. Historians estimate that about 1.5 million Armenians were killed. Turkey rejects the genocide designation.

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