In the wake of Hamas’ barbaric terror attack on October 7, 2023, the conflict between Israel and Hamas has received much attention. Discussions in conservative circles surrounding the current war have produced a common contention: Israel is a beacon of democracy defending itself against terrorist actors and protecting its national sovereignty. Indeed, Israel has been the victim of atrocious terrorist attacks since its establishment in 1948, and this past year, the country suffered immeasurable tragedy. On October 7, Hamas flooded into Israel and committed unthinkable acts of murder, torture, and sexual violence in a display of antisemitic hatred. Hamas’ actions deserve the strongest condemnation. Israel, undoubtedly, has the right to respond to this attack and any that may come in the interest of preserving its national sovereignty.
That said, we cannot allow our revulsion toward Hamas and our acknowledgment of Israel’s right to self-determination to restrict us to a narrow, idealized view of Israel. Although Israel is the only functional democracy in the Middle East, its recent ties to Azerbaijan indicate some inconsistencies in its commitment to democracy and human rights. Elucidating this relationship is critical for the United States, as making informed foreign policy decisions necessitates a non-myopic view of international politics. If the United States’ goal is stability in the Middle East, allowing its ally Israel to develop its already extensive relationship with an authoritarian regime that has waged war on a democratic Armenia is not conducive to this end.
For context, Azerbaijan and Armenia have engaged in numerous conflicts over a disputed region called Artsakh or, as it is more universally referred to, Nagorno-Karabakh. This region, up until 2023, was mainly populated by Armenians. In late 2020, Azerbaijan renewed its offensive attempts to regain military control of the region, committing numerous human rights violations in the process. Azeri forces mistreated prisoners of war and civilian hostages, desecrated the bodies of deceased Armenian soldiers, and beheaded civilians. This behavior parallels that of Hamas’ barbarity toward Israeli civilians.
Israel, perhaps surprisingly, played a decisive role in the 2020 victory of Azerbaijan. In fact, in the decade preceding the resurgence of violence, Azerbaijan imported 27 percent of its major arms from Israel, with most of these imports occurring from 2016 to 2020. Although official data suggests that this trade has tapered off, investigative reports have found that cargo planes operated by Silk Ways, a Baku-based airline and subcontractor for defense ministries, have landed several times in Ovda, the only airbase in Israel permitted to transport explosives. Azerbaijan subsequently used these weapons in its conflict with Armenia, including LORA ballistic missiles, EXTRA guided rockets, Harop drones, and other Israeli-made equipment. Azerbaijan has even openly recognized Israel for its instrumental military support. In a statement to the Associated Press, Mukhtar Mammadov, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Israel, said, “We’re glad for this cooperation, it was quite supportive and quite beneficial for defense.”
The complicity of Israel’s government has extended beyond a transactional, military trade relationship. Israel, along with several other democratic nations, including the United Kingdom, has refused to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide, the systematic slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians that began in 1915. This is likely rooted in a desire to maintain relations with both Turkey and Azerbaijan.
After all, Israel’s relationship with Azerbaijan has become an important partnership against their common enemy, Iran, with which Azerbaijan shares a border. Israel’s former ambassador to Azerbaijan, Arkady Milman, admitted this: “There’s no doubt about our position in support of Azerbaijan’s defense. We have a strategic partnership to contain Iran.” This presents a challenging foreign policy quandary. But, even if Israel’s partnership with Azerbaijan is a defensive one against Iran, this does not justify their relationship with a dictatorial regime and certainly contradicts any description of Israel as a perfect model of democracy. I should note, however, that this is true of other countries, too. No country should provide military aid to undemocratic nations known to commit human rights violations. I would similarly condemn the United States’ award of military aid to Saudi Arabia, a monarchy that has been accused of human rights violations.
Israel has entered into an unholy partnership with Azerbaijan. Empowered by Israeli arms, Azerbaijan committed Hamas-like human rights violations during their invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh. Israel sided with a dictatorship rather than a parliamentary democracy, arming and collaborating with a government that neglects the value of human life. Calling Israel a beacon of democracy is inconsistent with its sordid ties to the dictatorial regime in Azerbaijan. So, then, let us be unwavering in our support for Israel in its fight against Hamas, but let us not be blind to cases in which the Israeli government has been morally sinuous.
The continued future of Israel’s relationship with Azerbaijan seems likely, given the profitability of continued arms transactions and the countries’ strategic alliance against Iran. These benefits, however, do not justify the moral transgression of supporting an anti-democratic, aggressor state. To rectify this inconsistency, Israel should cease arms sales to Azerbaijan and re-align itself with the principled world, a change that may depend on pressure from the United States but will, in the long run, promote democratic developments in the region. Such a realignment would be truer to Israel’s stated commitment to democracy and human rights.
(Photo courtesy of Haim Zach/GPO)
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