Israeli FM summons Armenian ambassador amid bold step to back Palestinian state, increased Armenia-Iran dialogue

Armenia recognized Palestine as a state on Friday morning, according to Russian TASS news agency, citing Armenia’s foreign affairs ministry.
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In response to the recognition, Israel’s foreign affairs ministry summoned the Armenian ambassador to Israel for a “stern reprimand.”

In a longer statement posted on its website, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said that “the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the ongoing military conflict is one of the primary issues on the international political agenda that require resolution.”

It condemned the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure and called for the release of the remaining 120 hostages held in Gaza.

“The Republic of Armenia has joined the resolutions of the UN General Assembly, which call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,” it said.

“Moreover, the Republic of Armenia is sincerely interested in the establishment of peace and stability in the Middle East, the establishment of lasting reconciliation between the Jewish and Palestinian peoples.

“At various international platforms, we have always advocated for a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue and support the ‘two-state’ principle of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict solution.

Some 145 countries have recognized Palestine as a state since 1988, with Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, Norway, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia making that move in the last two months.

The gestures come as the Palestinian Authority renew its push to become the 194th member of the United Nations, but its efforts have been blocked by the United States.

The PA has asked countries that have not yet recognized it as a state state to do so in light of the Gaza war.

The war spark the Hamas-led invasion of Israel on October 7, in which over 1,200 people kill and 251 seized as hostages.

Hamas has asserted that over 37,000 Palestinians kill in war-related violence, verifying some 25,000 of those fatalities. Israel has said that over 14,000 of those deaths are combatants.

Antisemitism has been rampant in Armenia since the war broke out, as well, with Jewish communities in the region fearful and attack several times.

Armenian ties with Iran

Armenia has become more and more closely associated with Iran in recent years amid the rising tensions with Azerbaijan. Several sources reported 2023 spotting Iranian soldiers on the Armenian side of the border with Azerbaijan.

According to French reports, Iran send agents to Yerevan to manage the Blue Mosque, which build in Armenia during Iran’s rule.

Iran and Israel consistently oppose, with Iran attacking Israel in a massive bombardment of rockets and missiles in April.

In addition, Armenia is an observer state of the Arab League.