By Nate Ostiller
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pressured by Azerbaijan into blocking a bill already approved by the government to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide, the Israeli media outlet Haaretz has reported, citing an unnamed source.
The reporting follows a month of uncertainty about the progress towards recognition after the Israeli government unanimously approved the proposal, put forth by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, in June. This information comes on the heels of the announcement last week that the government was pulling the bill.
At the time, Sa’ar called the move to recognize the genocide “a moral duty.”
The initial steps were met with widespread skepticism, including in Armenia, with many viewing the possible recognition as a geopolitical game that said more about Israeli tensions with Turkey than a genuine desire to recognize the genocide.
The Israeli government’s approval of the resolution drew intense criticism from Azerbaijan and Turkey, with the latter accusing Israel of seeking to ‘cover up its own crimes’ in Gaza.
