“Armenpress”.- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night delayed a ministerial debate of motions to officially recognize the Armenian genocide, the Times of Israel reported.
On Sunday, the Israeli foreign ministry said it had advised that going ahead with the motion could help Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s reelection campaign.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accepted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ recommendation to postpone a debate on a law recognizing the Armenian genocide until after the Turkish elections on 24 June 2018, as the debate on its original schedule might serve the election campaign of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan”, the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement on June 3.
Turkey will hold early presidential and parliamentary elections on June 24.
Netanyahu, who is also foreign minister, asked that the topic be taken off the agenda for the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, which was set to meet on Sunday to review two bills ahead of their Knesset (parliament) votes.
The Turkish-Israeli relations deteriorated drastically after the recent deadly clashes on the Israel-Gaza border, when dozens of Palestinians were killed.
Turkey and Israel expelled one another’s envoys in the aftermath of the diplomatic row.
On May 16, Israeli lawmakers introduced the motion to recognize the Armenian Genocide in what many saw as an attempt to pressure Turkey.
But on May 28, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein indefinitely postponed the voting for the bill to recognize the Armenian Genocide. According to Jerusalem Post, Edelstein delayed the vote because he was unsure that the bill would garner majority of votes.