A New Policy, ANCA lead Coalition against Azerbaijan`s role in Gaza  Security Force

ArmInfo.  A New Policy and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) and have rallied a coalition of 18 U.S. organizations to oppose the potential inclusion of Azerbaijan in the International Security Force (ISF) planned for Gaza under President Trump's 20-Point Plan. The coalition released a statement urging the United States and international partners to  reject any Azerbaijani military presence in the force, citing its  ethnic cleansing of Artsakh's Armenian population in 2023 and deep  military partnership with Israel as disqualifying factors.

  The coalition statement - first reported in Politico's National  Security Daily - warns that international security forces must bring  both impartiality and a demonstrated track record of respect for  human rights - standards that Azerbaijan fails to meet on both   counts.  

According to media reports, Azerbaijan is being considered as a  potential contributor to the ISF despite its well-documented pattern  of human rights abuses and its extensive military and economic ties  to Israel. The coalition argues these connections fundamentally  undermine any claim to impartiality in a Gaza peacekeeping mission.  

"The Armenian and Palestinian people both have a long history of  oppression, and in many instances a shared history of oppression",  stated Executive Director of A New Policy, Josh Paul.  "At a time  when those who are responsible for that oppression are finding shared  interest in their collaboration, it is incumbent upon those of us on  the side of freedom and justice to respond with unity. The notion  that two of the world's most odious military forces should operate  alongside each other in Gaza is as absurd as it is shocking." 

The coalition's statement details how Azerbaijan's military  relationship with Israel creates an inherent conflict of interest.  "Israel is a major supplier to Azerbaijan's military, accounting for  up to 70% of Azerbaijan's arms imports - including of key munitions  such as the Barak-8 Extended Range air-defense system and advanced  unmanned aerial systems including the Heron and Searcher, and  loitering weapons such as the Harop," the statement notes. "Israel's  role as a key supplier to Azerbaijan, particularly of cutting-edge  and AI-enabled military technology, as well as the two nation's  strong intelligence and security cooperation ties, bring considerable  doubt as to whether Azerbaijan would be willing to call balls and  strikes when it comes to ceasefire violations, or will instead act  essentially as a proxy of the Israeli Defense Forces." 

Beyond military ties, the statement points to energy dependency as  another factor compromising Azerbaijan's neutrality. "Additionally,  up to 40% of Israel's oil imports come from Azerbaijan - further  casting doubt on Azerbaijan's capacity and willingness to play an  impartial role in the proposed International Security Force in Gaza." 

Azerbaijan's human rights record presents an equally disqualifying  concern. The coalition statement chronicles Baku's campaign against  the Armenian population of Artsakh, noting that "in 2023, Azerbaijan  imposed a humanitarian blockade against the Armenian population of  Artsakh, depriving the region's 150,000 civilians access to food,  fuel, medicine and other essential goods for 10 months - before  launching a military assault that resulted in the ethnic cleansing of  the Artsakh's entire Armenian population."

The pattern of abuse extends beyond the blockade and forced  displacement. Azerbaijan continues to unlawfully detain and abuse  Armenian civilians and political leaders from Artsakh, engages in  widespread destruction and desecration of Armenian Christian cultural  heritage, and maintains its occupation of sovereign Armenian  territory following 2022 border incursions that included war crimes  such as the summary execution of unarmed Armenian soldiers.  

"Azerbaijan's genocide of Artsakh - a crime openly aided and abetted  by Israel - disqualifies it as a peacekeeping presence in Gaza or  anywhere else for that matter," said ANCA Executive Director Aram  Hamparian. "The same Azerbaijan that's buying billions of dollars'  worth of Israeli arms - that ships tens of millions of barrels of oil  to Israel on an annual basis - cannot credibly be expected to protect  Palestinian civilians. Just the opposite, in fact. We are proud to  stand in solidarity with A New Policy and all our coalition partners  in opposing any role for Azerbaijan in Gaza, rejecting outright this  reckless attempt to whitewash Azerbaijan's genocidal violence at the  expense of Palestinians lives and land." 

The coalition includes organizations focused on human rights,  genocide prevention, Middle East peace, and justice advocacy. Joining  ANCA and A New Policy in the statement are: American Muslims for  Palestine (AMP), Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP  Action), Churches for Middle East Peace, CODEPINK, DAWN, Disability  Justice for Palestine, International Association of Genocide  Scholars, Just Foreign Policy, Lemkin Institute for Genocide  Prevention & Human Security, Migrant Roots Media, National Iranian  American Council, Palestinian Christians for Justice, Progressive  Democrats of America - Greater Middle East Alliances, US Campaign For  Palestinian Rights (USCPR Action), Women's International League for  Peace and Freedom, US Section (WILPF US), and YUSRA Action.  

The coalition statement concludes with a direct appeal: "We urge the  international community including the United States to reject any  role for the Azerbaijani military in the conceived International  Security Force for Gaza. Azerbaijan's egregious human rights record  and recent ethnic cleansing of Artsakh - in addition to its growing  dependence on Israeli military technology and Israel's reliance on  Azerbaijani energy - make it uniquely unsuited for any peacekeeping  or stabilizing role in the Palestinian territories."

  The full coalition statement is available on A New Policy's website  and below.