{"id":1629,"date":"2026-07-01T19:38:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arabnewsmonitor.com\/2026\/07\/01\/israel-just-found-turkiyes-weak-spot\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T19:38:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T19:38:00","slug":"israel-just-found-turkiyes-weak-spot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/?p=1629","title":{"rendered":"Israel just found T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s weak spot"},"content":{"rendered":"

West Jerusalem\u2019s Armenian Genocide recognition exposes a deeper fight for influence in Washington<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Israeli government\u2019s decision to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide has become one of the most symbolic and politically sensitive steps in Israel\u2019s relations with T\u00fcrkiye. On the surface, it may look like Israel feels the need to restore historical justice: A state founded by a people who survived the horrific tragedy of the Holocaust proclaims a moral obligation to recognize the tragedies of other peoples and oppose the denial of crimes against humanity. But in world politics, moral arguments rarely exist in isolation; most often, they gain traction when they coincide with national interests.<\/p>\n

For this reason, instead of wondering why Israel had not recognized the Armenian Genocide earlier, we should ask why it has decided to do so now. On the one hand, the answer is very simple: For decades, Israel was guided by cold political reasoning. The topic of the Armenian Genocide was uncomfortable and practically taboo for the Israeli establishment. Any attempt to raise this issue at an official level was met with resistance, as recognition would have inevitably undermined relations with T\u00fcrkiye. For a long time, Ankara was one of Israel\u2019s key partners in the Muslim world. T\u00fcrkiye was viewed by Israel as an important military and political ally, a strategic channel of communication with the region, and an element of balance in the Middle East. Historical issues were sacrificed for the sake of pragmatism. Israel was careful to avoid irritating Ankara in matters that could harm political interests.<\/p>\n

There is also the Azerbaijani factor. For Israel, Baku is not just a partner, but an important ally in terms of energy, military-technical cooperation, and geopolitics. Azerbaijan supplies oil, purchases Israeli weapons, and occupies a special place in Israel\u2019s strategy toward Iran. For decades, Israel considered the Armenian issue a potential threat to relations with both Baku and Ankara.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"Armenia's
Armenia\u2019s Turkish gamble comes with a price<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

There was a third, sensitive aspect: The idea of the exceptional nature of the Holocaust. Some members of the Israeli political class have long held the belief that recognizing other genocides could undermine the Holocaust\u2019s unique status in global historical memory. This argument was rarely made public, but it was present in political thinking and also contributed to Israel\u2019s caution on the Armenian issue.<\/p>\n

Now, however, the situation has changed \u2013 and not because Israel has suddenly realized the tragedy of the Armenian people. Rather, the political landscape has changed, and the geopolitics of the Middle East have changed along with it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Israel-T\u00fcrkiye relations are undergoing a deep crisis. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan\u2019s rhetoric toward Israel has become openly hostile. T\u00fcrkiye has suddenly increased political pressure on Israel, freezing relations in many areas, and making the anti-Israeli agenda an important element of its regional policy. Under these circumstances, the previous logic of caution is no longer relevant. Israel no longer views Ankara as a partner worth maintaining diplomatic silence for, and as a result, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s painful historical issues are becoming an instrument of counter-pressure.<\/p>\n

In this context, Israel\u2019s decision takes on particular significance and sets an undesirable political precedent, potentially increasing international pressure on T\u00fcrkiye when it comes to the Armenian issue. The reason is obvious: Israel carries particular moral weight when it comes to the remembrance of mass crimes and genocides. If the Jewish state recognizes the Armenian Genocide, it becomes much more difficult for Turkish diplomacy to portray the issue as a \u201cpoliticized debate among historians.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

One should not idealize Israel, however. This decision was not the result of a sudden \u2018triumph of morality\u2019 in Israeli politics. Israel\u2019s actions were guided purely by national interests. For decades, it benefited from silence, and so it remained silent. Today, it benefits from breaking that silence, and acts accordingly. In this case, the complex nature of international politics becomes apparent: We clearly see how often moral arguments are intertwined with pragmatic considerations.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
In a world of political tantrums, T\u00fcrkiye and Russia speak like adults<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This situation could have particular significance for Israel\u2019s relations with Azerbaijan. Of course, it would be naive to expect an immediate breakdown in the partnership between Israel and Azerbaijan. Baku is too important to Israel in terms of energy, security, and regional strategy. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a rather restrained but critical statement. Baku called on the Israeli government to reconsider its decision while avoiding any reference to the Armenian Genocide and using the phrase \u2018the events of 1915\u2019.<\/p>\n

Another important factor is the reaction within Armenia itself. Paradoxically, Israel has raised the issue of the Armenian Genocide precisely at a time when the Armenian authorities are seeking to remove this topic from the foreign policy agenda. Under the slogans of a peace agenda and normalizing relations, Yerevan is effectively downplaying the issue of the genocide. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Yerevan does \u201cnot see any need for a response\u201d<\/em> to the Israeli government\u2019s decision. According to Pashinyan, Armenia does not want to be involved in turning the genocide into a political weapon, since this does not serve the country\u2019s interests.<\/p>\n

This was quite expected. In fact, Israel\u2019s move was addressed not so much towards Armenia or even T\u00fcrkiye, but towards the US, where a struggle for the future balance of power in the Middle East is unfolding. Israel increasingly perceives T\u00fcrkiye as the next major regional rival after Iran. While in the past, despite political crises and harsh rhetoric, Ankara and West Jerusalem had maintained space for pragmatic interaction, today this model has effectively collapsed. T\u00fcrkiye pursues an independent role in the region, seeks to expand its influence in the Muslim world, and is striving to become one of the centers of power in the new architecture of the Middle East. This poses a strategic challenge for Israel. For decades, its security relied heavily on its qualitative military superiority, secured in part by US military aid, access to advanced technologies, and a special status within the US alliance system. However, if T\u00fcrkiye gains expanded access to Western technology, this balance could begin to shift. This is precisely why the issue with the F-35 jets, and more broadly, the strengthening of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s military-technical capabilities, is of fundamental importance to Israel. This isn\u2019t just about the fighter jets; it\u2019s a question of whether Israel will maintain its technological advantage in the region or whether T\u00fcrkiye will gradually approach it in terms of the quality of its weapons, industrial base, and military capabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
T\u00fcrkiye is playing the game the West forgot how to play<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This is where the US factor comes in. In the US, the Armenian issue carries certain political weight because of the Armenian diaspora, congressmen, and lobbyists. By recognizing the Armenian Genocide, Israel may attempt to integrate into this sensitive agenda and thereby strengthen those forces in Washington that oppose excessive rapprochement with T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n

In other words, Israel may intend to activate not only pro-Israeli but also pro-Armenian circles in American politics in order to oppose certain defense concessions to Ankara. If T\u00fcrkiye is presented not simply as an important NATO ally, but as a state that continues to deny the Armenian Genocide while simultaneously building up its military potential, then it will become more difficult for American politicians to unconditionally support the strengthening of T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s military-technical capabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Therefore, this is not a matter of Israel suddenly realizing the historical truth \u2013 rather, the political price of silence and the political price of recognition have changed. Moreover, this situation is unfolding against the backdrop of growing tensions between Israel and parts of the American political establishment. In the US, criticism of Israeli policy is growing, and the idea of unconditional military support for Israel is increasingly becoming a subject of debate. In this situation, West Jerusalem needs to expand its arguments and demonstrate that its confrontation with T\u00fcrkiye is not just another regional conflict, but part of a broader struggle for security and Western values.<\/p>\n

The main conclusion is clear: The era of pragmatic relations between T\u00fcrkiye and Israel is over. While in the old days, the memory of sensitive historical issues was sacrificed for the sake of geopolitical interests, today these issues have become tools of geopolitical pressure. This constitutes the political significance of the current events.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

West Jerusalem\u2019s Armenian Genocide recognition exposes a deeper fight for influence in Washington The Israeli…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1630,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1629","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1629","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1629"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1629\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1630"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1629"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1629"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arabnewsmonitor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1629"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}