Israel, Azerbaijan, and accusations of Armenian Antisemitism
It is not the first time I am defending a series of controversial accusations of Antisemitism generated by Israel, Western academics, and NGOs on the pay list of Petro Dictator Aliyev, all determined to tarnish the image of Armenia on the international scene, and depict the Armenian nation as a bunch of fanatics enamoured with grandiose dreams of territorial expansionism.
Back in January 23, 2022 I published an article titled
" Garegin Nzhdeh & Canadian Prof. Robert M. Cutler"
https://artsakhtheinadequateresponse.blogspot.com/2022/01/garegin-nzhdeh-canadian-prof-robert-m.html
Prof. Cutler relied on a bunch of false figures to concoct the conclusion that "Armenia is the second-most antisemitic country in Europe." My reply was very clear:
Unfortunately the Kantor Center and the European Jewish Congress figures based on real acts of Antisemitism (not opinions) do not agree with the conclusion of Mr. Cutler. Here are the figures: “Following the United States (with 100 incidents) on the list of serious incidents is the United Kingdom (with 68 incidents), France and Germany (with 35 incidents each) and Canada (20 incidents).” Armenia had one single incident of graffiti painting on a Holocaust Memorial located in a park in Yerevan, at the end of The Second Artsakh War.
Since the publication of my article, the figures/statistics gathered from Jewish institutions did not change drastically. Britain/UK has the highest number of Antisemitic incidents, and the second spot on the European continent is still reserved for France and Germany NOT ARMENIA.
With the October 2023 events in the Middle East, pitching Israel against Hamas, the well oiled and financed joint Isareli/Azeri propaganda machinery, picked up one more time the Armenian Antisemitism theme, and twisted an incident in Yerevan out of proportion to protect vested Azeri interests in Europe.
On November 15, the police in Yerevan was informed that an unknown individual made an attempt to set fire to the doors of a building located at 23 Nar-Dos Street in Yerevan, housing the only active synagogue in Armenia. The police launched an investigation and advised the Armenian media that the fire was quickly contained, and no major damage was caused to the building.
The conclusion shaped by the police investigation was endorsed by Ms. Rima Varzhapetyan, the president of Armenia’s Jewish community, who confirmed "...that the synagogue had not been seriously damaged and that no one was in the building at the time. “.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/armenia-opens-probe-into-arson-attack-on-synagogue/
For Azerbaijan the arson attempt was a windfall. Less than 24 hours after the event, Azerbaijani diplomats in Europe, supported by an army of online mercenaries active on multiple social platform launched a diatribe denouncing the incident as the Armenian version of the Nazi Kristallnacht (9–10 November 1938) that causes an existential threat to the small Jewish community of Yerevan.
Nasimi Aghayev is the Azerbaijani ambassador to Germany posted on his "X" page the following statement:
"A synagogue in Yerevan, Armenia, which is the country’s only synagogue, was burned last night. Alarming rise in #antisemitism in Armenia makes its small Jewish community quite vulnerable. According to @ADL study, Armenia is the 2nd most antisemitic country in Europe."
Israel’s non-resident ambassador to Armenia, Joel Lion, quickly joined the choir on social media and urged "...the government of Armenia to condemn all forms of antisemitism, to fully investigate this crime, and bring the perpetrators to justice...”
Obviously, all those who orchestrated this campaign against Armenia conveniently forgot that the son of Armenia's Prime Minister, Ashot Pashinyan, works as a “Talent Acquisition Manager” for the Israeli Webiz company, and his father Nikol purchased from Israel spywares to monitor the smart phones of opposition figures regularly condemning his lame policies.
https://artsakhtheinadequateresponse.blogspot.com/2023/05/is-treachery-dominant-trait-of.html
How can Armenia be called an Antisemitic nation when the First Family of Armenia, The Pashinyans, are staunch supporters of Israeli interests in Armenia, and will spare no effort to defend the Jewish Commuity in Armenia?
But let us remember that as a society, we do have different schools of thought in Armenia that do not agree with the decisions adopted by the political leaders of Israel, and the military campaign Israel is waging against Hamas.
By now, almost 2 months after the October 7 incident, Israeli propagandists should realize that accusations of "Antisemitism" are no longer intimidating political figures and political activists, because as an expedient currency used to silence criticism, the label of "Antisemitism" has lost significant value. The best examples one can cite is the following declaration made by The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, to the Security Council on 24 October 2023:
"It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation. They have seen their land steadily devoured by settlements and plagued by violence; their economy stifled; their people displaced and their homes demolished. Their hopes for a political solution to their plight have been vanishing."
Less than 24 hours after the remarks made by UN Secretary General António Guterres, Israel's ambassador to The UN, Gilad Erdan, decided that the best method to put an end to the Antisemitic views expressed by key decision makers of The UN, is to stop issuing visas to UN personnel trying to enter Gaza. Mr. Erdan was convinced that a ban on visas imposed on UN personnel will "teach them a lesson" and stop the spread of Antisemitic views in that international forum. After the visa ban Mr. Erdan launched a general appeal seeking the resignation of Guterres, but his grievance fell on deaf ears, and Guterres is still holding his position in The UN's hierarchy.
Yet, for some strange reason that defy common wisdom, worst accusations were pronounced by Turkey's president, Sultan Erdogan, against the Israeli measures adopted since October 07/23, and no Israeli political figure accused him of Antisemitism or advocated for his resignation from the presidency of Turkey.
What were some of the Antisemitic views expressed by Sultan Erdogan:
"Beyond being a war criminal, Netanyahu, who is the butcher of Gaza right now, will be tried as the butcher of Gaza, just as Milosevic was tried..."
"Those who try to skip over the deaths of all those innocent people by using the excuse of Hamas have nothing left to say to humanity,"
"With the savagery of bombing the civilians it forced out of their homes while they are relocating, it is literally employing state terrorism...I am now saying, with my heart at ease, that Israel is a terror state."
"We will never shy away from voicing the truth that Hamas members protecting their lands, honour, and lives in the face of occupation policies are resistance fighters, just because some people are uncomfortable with it..."
"Ankara would also take steps to ensure Israeli settlers in occupied Palestinian territories are recognised as "terrorists..."
With all the vitriolic statements made by Sultan Erdogan against Israel, one expects him to be swiftly condemned by Israel and Azerbaijan as the number one sworn enemy of Israel and The Civilized Western Democracies supporting the Israeli military campaign against Hamas.
Is there any reason no one from the Israeli or Azerbaijani camp dares to challenge Sultan Erdogan and accuse him of blatant Antisemitism, but are swift to condemn Antisemitism in Armenia based on a single isolated event?
===============================
Our editorial team believes in the free exchange of ideas.
You are free to republish this article online and in print, as long as the following conditions are respected:
1) The reproduction is not for commercial purposes.
2) Do not edit the text.
3) Give proper credit to the blog by acknowledging the source and creating a hyperlink.
Comments