Israel’s Reactions to the Disaster in Karabakh (Artsakh)

–  Scheindlin, Dahlia (September 29, 2023). Nagorno-Karabakh’s parallels to Palestinian Nakba are haunting (cover page) (continued on page 5 with a new headline: Israel has some soul searching to do over Armenians).  Haaretz English Edition.

“All Jews should reckon with the fact that Israel has abandoned even a pretense of solidarity with Armenians due to the shared history of a horrible persecution.  Israel did not commit the assault on Karabakh last week, but it is widely presumed to be the largest supplier of arms to Azerbaijan.  Flights to and from Azerbaijan spiked in the months ahead of the assault.  Eyal Zamir, director general of Israel’s Defense Ministry, visited Azerbaijan’s defense minister literally the day before the offensive began.

“Yom Kippur is over but Israel – and I dare say the world – must ask myriad profound questions about sins, mistakes and responsibility for the past and the future…  what happened to protection of civilians?  For nine months Azerbaijan starved the civilians of Karabach as if the Geneva Convention and humanitarian law protecting civilians in conflict zones did not exist.  Will Azerbaijan face consequences for ethnic cleansing?…Do ultranationalist authoritarian autocrats like Aliyev – and those closer to home – ultimately prove to be the geopolitical winners in today’s world? And will Israel remain on the wrong side of history when it comes to answering these questions?

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– Mammadov, Mukhtar (October 1, 2023). Azerbaijan and Armenia. Haaretz English Edition. Mammadov is the ambassador of Azerbaijan to Israel.

“Azerbaijan is not forcing anyone to leave Karabakh – it is a personal and individual decision to leave.  We have offered full-fledged citizenship and guaranteed equal rights and protection to Armenian residents of Karabakh, as well as reintegration into multi-ethnic Azerbaijan society (which is home to thousands of Jews, who have lived in Azerbaijani territory for the past 2000 years)…so far, during the last seven days hundreds of tons of food, medication, fuel and other assistance were provided to Armenian residents of Karabakh.  The next step shall be the signing of a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the opening of communication and transportation lines between the two countries in order to promote the economic development of the broader South Caucausus region.”

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Recorded from TV news broadcast on Channel I-24 (Israel), October 6, 2023): A rabbi in Afghanistan has advised all Armenian Jews in Afghanistan to leave as soon as possible “before it is too late.”

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Editorial (October 1, 2023): The Profit Line: Ethnic Cleansing. Haaretz Hebrew Edition.

“The participation of Israel in the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh requires a fundamental shift in Israel’s policies of arms exports and controls over sales of arms to aggressive dictatorships – as well as Israel’s aid to Armenia in the absorption of refugees.”