A congressional bill that would expand US security assistance to Azerbaijan has renewed tensions between the Armenian National Committee of America and Israel, drawing attention in Jerusalem.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s H.R. 6534 would lift long-standing restrictions under Section 907 and allow increased US military aid to Baku. The proposal comes several months after Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders signed a joint declaration in Washington in August 2025 aimed at normalizing relations between the two countries.
ANCA criticized that initiative at the time. Luna’s bill was also blasted by the Armenian lobby on its official X account.
This week, ANCA stepped up its criticism. In a post, the organization said Israeli policy runs “contrary to Jewish traditions, spiritual and secular.”
The same post said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is “denying the Armenian genocide,” “arming Azerbaijan,” and “endangering the Armenian Christian Quarter in Jerusalem.”
The wording drew attention for invoking Jewish identity within a political attack on Israel, at a time of heightened sensitivity in the United States around antisemitism.
The development comes amid intensified debates over antisemitism and free speech across the United States.
New NYC Mayor Mamdani ends IHRA antisemitism standards
On his first day in office, January 1, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani revoked several executive orders issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams, including the city’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. Jewish community leaders and organizations criticized the decision.
Separately, a recurring source of friction in Israel-Armenia relations has resurfaced. Footage from Yerevan showed young Armenians gathering in the city center to mark the birthday of Garegin Nzhdeh.
Former Israeli ambassador to Armenia Yoel Lion previously condemned public celebrations of Nzhdeh, writing that glorifying a Nazi collaborator is unacceptable and calling on Armenian authorities to take a firm stand against neo-Nazism and antisemitism.