Israeli media: Armenian lobby launches campaign targeting Israel

Published: 2026-01-07 13:29

“In recent days, the debate over Azerbaijan has escalated into a conflict that has reached as far as Jerusalem. At the center is a bill in the US Congress—H.R. 6534—sponsored by Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna. According to the text of the bill, the goal is to remove historical restrictions linked to Section 907 and expand the possibility of security assistance to Azerbaijan. For the Armenian lobby in Washington, this is a red line. Azerbaijan maintains close security ties with Israel, and the debate has therefore also echoed in Jerusalem,” the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported.

“But today, the rhetoric escalated further. A post on ANCA’s official X account (the Armenian National Committee of America) in Washington stated that Israel’s policy is ‘contrary to Jewish spiritual, and secular traditions.’ In the same message, the organization accused the Netanyahu government of actions it says harm Armenians, including claims that Israel ‘denies the Armenian Genocide,’ ‘arms Azerbaijan,’ and ‘endangers Jerusalem's Armenian Christian Quarter.’ The statement stands out not only for its content but also for its explicit use of language that targets Judaism itself in the context of a political attack on Israel,” Maariv added.

Meanwhile, the ultra-Orthodox outlet Kikar noted: “And amid all this, an old point of friction in relations with Armenia has resurfaced. In Yerevan, young Armenians were filmed celebrating the birthday of Garegin Nzhdeh in the city center. Nzhdeh is considered a prominent national figure in Armenia, and in Israel he has been mentioned over the years as a figure who provokes serious controversy due to his ties to the Nazis during World War II. Former Israeli ambassador to Armenia Yoel Leon previously spoke out strongly against the glorification of Nzhdeh, writing that glorifying a collaborator with the Nazis is unacceptable, and calling on the authorities to take a firm line against neo-Nazism and antisemitism.”

“In Washington, a battle is underway over legislation that would reshape aid policy toward Azerbaijan; online, a fierce campaign is unfolding that also targets Israel; and in New York, a debate is reopening—in real time—over the very definition of antisemitism. For Israel, this is no longer merely a regional dispute in the Caucasus but a broader question about how political actors in the United States invoke Israel in other struggles—and what happens when the language shifts from politics to identity,” Walla, one of Israel’s leading news portals, emphasized.

By Azerbaijani-Israeli Alliance Global News