Armenian-Israeli relations

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Relations between Armenia (Armenian: Հայաստան, Hebrew: ארמניה‎) and Israel (Hebrew: יִשְרָאֵל‎, Armenian: Իսրայել) are both important and historic.

[edit] Background

Jewish-Armenian relations date back to the time of Armenian emperor Tigranes the Great, who, retreating from Palestine, encouraged 10,000 Jews to join him on his return to the Kingdom of Armenia.[1] Israel itself is home to the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.[2]

During the late 1980s, Armenian students held up Israel as a model for Armenian independence, arguing that both were fighting for their survival against much larger regional powers.[3] Israel was also one of the first countries to send aid to Armenia in the aftermath of the 1988 Spitak earthquake.[4][5]

[edit] Relations today

Since independence, Armenia has received support from Israel and today remains one of its major trade partners. According to the CIA World Factbook, Armenia receives 4.8% of its imports from Israel while Israel receives 7.1% of Armenia's exports.[6] Although both countries have diplomatic relations, neither maintains an embassy in the other country. Instead, Ehude Moshe Eytam, the Israeli ambassador to Armenia is based in Tbilisi, Georgia, and visits Yerevan twice a month.[1],while the Armenian ambassador to Israel stays in France. And Armenia has a consulate in Israel.


There have been several high-level official visits to Israel by Armenians in the last several years. In January 2000, former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan traveled to Israel and met with high-ranking Israeli officials, including former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak. The two sides pledged to strengthen relations and signed agreements on health and bilateral investment. [7] In 2003, the Catholicos of All Armenian Karekin II visited Chief Rabbi of Israel Yona Metzger who accepted an invitation by Karekin to visit Armenia.[8]

Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Israel, has paid tribute to 10 Armenians as Righteous Among the Nations for risking their lives during the Holocaust to rescue Jews. However, because Turkey is a strategic partner of Israel and one of the few countries in the Middle East that recognizes Israel's right to exist, Israel has yet to recognize the Armenian Genocide. In the years following Armenia's independence, however, Israeli politicians, Rabbis, and the country's small Armenian community have called on Israel to do so. At the same time, Turkey has warned of harming ties with Israel if Israel or the United States recognizes the killings as genocide.[9] As of 2008, there has been an ongoing debate regarding recognition in the Knesset with Turkey lobbying hard to prevent it.[10] According to The Jerusalem Post, "many Israelis are eager for their country to recognize the genocide".[11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States, and Eurasia: Armenia and Jews
  2. ^ Jerusalem - The Old City: The Armenian Quarter. Jewish Virtual Library.
  3. ^ Bill Keller. "Armenia and Its Neighbors Only Diverge", The New York Times, 1988-09-11, p. E3. Retrieved on 2008-02-02. 
  4. ^ Sabra Chartrand. "Israeli Aid For Armenia Signals Better Relations", The New York Times, 1989-06-29, p. A8. Retrieved on 2008-02-02. 
  5. ^ Joel Brinkley. "Israel Tends to Quake Victims, and Soviet Ties", The New York Times, 1989-08-16, p. A1. Retrieved on 2008-02-02. 
  6. ^ CIA World Factbook: Armenia
  7. ^ Advocates on Behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and Eurasia - Armenia
  8. ^ Ara Abrahamian called to develop Armenia-Israel relations
  9. ^ "Israel expresses concern over Turkish-Armenian massacre dispute", The Associated Press, 2007-10-11. Retrieved on 2008-02-02. 
  10. ^ "A Turkey-Armenia reconciliation?", Los Angeles Times, 2008-04-25. Retrieved on 2008-04-25. 
  11. ^ David Smith. "Armenia's 'Christian holocaust'", The Jerusalem Post, 2008-04-25. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.