Netanyahu Blocks Knesset Vote on Armenian Genocide Recognition

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blocked a vote in the Knesset to officially recognize the Armenian genocide after receiving diplomatic pressure from Azerbaijan. The legislative action follows a June government decision to recognize the genocide, which had been championed by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar.

The intervention occurred after Hikmet Hajiyev, a senior political adviser to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, contacted the Israeli Prime Minister's Office. Israeli officials subsequently informed their Azerbaijani counterparts that the proposal was removed from the legislative agenda before the summer recess to ensure the vote would not take place during the final plenary sessions.

While the office of Gideon Sa'ar denied that Netanyahu's intervention caused the cancellation, it provided no explanation for why the proposal was not brought to a vote. Simultaneously, Azerbaijan signaled a cooling of diplomatic relations with Israel. During a meeting in Baku, President Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed support for a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital while receiving Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.