Meet Israel’s Best Friends in the Muslim World

(October 15, 2024, Newsweek)

Amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East—in which much of the Muslim world is opposed to the Jewish State—many Israel observers have been wistfully recalling the signing of the Abraham Accords.

The landmark 2020 treaties, which normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, were widely hailed as the first warm peace between Israelis and Arabs. But they are far from the first warm peace between the Jewish States and the Muslim world.

For decades, Jerusalem has maintained friendly ties with five Muslim-majority Turkic states of the former Soviet Union: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan. Of these, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan stand out as models of the potential of Jewish-Muslim relations.

Both Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are multi-cultural societies with a historical Jewish presence but little history of antisemitism. Jewish Silk Road traders settled in Kazakhstan in the 15^th century. In Azerbaijan, outside of the capital of Baku, archeologists have found evidence of a synagogue dating back to the 7^th century. Azerbaijan is home to Krasnaya Sloboda, the only remaining shtetl, or all-Jewish village, outside of Israel.

Azerbaijani-Jewish diaspora organizations have said that no country has been “as friendly and loyal” to their Jews as Azerbaijan, while Kazakhstan is “a country without antisemitism,” according to former Israeli Ambassador Ran Ishay. The world “must learn from the example” of Kazakh-Jewish relations, said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations.

The good relations go beyond tolerance to cultural appreciation. In Kazakhstan, pendants with the Hebrew word for life became a major fashion trend two years ago. In Azerbaijan, one of the country’s most famous war heroes, Albert Agarunov—a Jew—has statues and streets named after him in the capital city of Baku. At his funeral service, a rabbi was joined by a mullah to pray for his soul.

Coexistence in these countries is part of the culture. During Soviet times, Jews in the Turkic Soviet Republics were much less oppressed than in the Slavic and Baltic Soviet Republics in Europe. Central Asia was a sanctuary for Ashkenazi Jews escaping the Holocaust, taking in an estimated 700,000 Jewish refugees (though there’s no pretending life was easy for them). For Kazakhstan, the massive influx of foreigners couldn’t have come at a worse time. Soviet collectivization policies had wiped out more than a third of the Kazakh population, yet all the same, the republic took in tens of thousands of weary Jews.

These beleaguered people who had grown up with pogroms and were escaping even worse Nazi persecution were surprised to be treated as human beings. Many Jews would later escape worse Soviet oppression in republics like Russia and Ukraine by moving to the Turkic republics.

After these nations declared independence following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Israel was one of the first nations with which they established full diplomatic relations. In doing so, they found a crucial partner in trade, agriculture and defense.

Despite pressure from the Muslim world since the outbreak of war, both Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have not only maintained relations with Israel but increased them. Even after Iran called on Muslim countries to stop sending Israel oil, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan supplied the Jewish state with 60% of its needs. Baku has even increased its oil exports to Israel by 28%. This year, Pro-Palestinian protestors vandalized the headquarters of Azerbaijan’s state oil company Socar had its Istanbul headquarters by pro-Palestinian protestors. Undeterred, last month (Sept 26.), Baku signed memorandums that will deepen defense ties between the two nations.

While other global leaders kept silent, Kazakhstani President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was the first Central Asian leader to condemn the Oct. 7^th massacre. On Oct. 13, he saidthat terrorist tactics were never justified. Later that month, Kazakhstan demanded an unconditional release of all the hostages held by Hamas. And in the past year, as conflict has raged in Gaza, Kazakhstan has only increased cooperation with Israel. In August, Astana and Jerusalem discussed deepening tourism and even visa-free travel for Kazakhstani citizens traveling to Israel.

Kazakhstan’s tolerance has roots in its history. During Stalin’s rule, Kazakhstan was treated as a dumping grounds for undesirables from other nations. Moscow deported numerous ethnic groups en masse that it worried might become a separatist threat. Because of that policy, Kazakhstan has become the home of 124 ethnicities including many not native to the region like Ukrainians, Koreans, Ingush, Turks, Greeks, Germans and Tatars.

Many Kazakhstanis from diverse cultures grow up celebrating each other’s holidays. Muslims often paint eggs for Easter and Christians attend post-Ramadan feasts. This tolerance has spread to Jews as well.

Modern Azerbaijan’s support of Israel started with the country’s forefather — Heydar Aliyev. Aliyev saw the potential benefits of cooperation with the Jewish State. During his presidency, Israeli-Azerbaijani relations blossomed. According to former Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman, “no global leader amazed me as much as Aliyev.”

Aliyev’s support for the Jewish state was only surpassed by his support for the Jewish people. Under his rule, the Azerbaijani government returned Jewish buildings confiscated by Soviet authorities, restored synagogues and sponsored development in Krasnaya Sloboda.

Aliyev’s son, Ilham Aliyev, the current Azerbaijani president, has kept up his father’s pro-Israel policies. Since he took power in 2003, Azerbaijan and Israel have increased cooperation in the spheres of intelligence, defense, agriculture, infrastructure and energy.

The Aliyev family’s support for Israel and the Jewish community has not escaped the world’s antisemites. Heydar Aliyev, the forefather of modern Azerbaijan, was accused by his enemies including Russian-backed Armenian groups of being a Jew. His son, current president Ilham Aliyev, is often featured in Nazi-style, antisemitic Iranian cartoons, depicting him with a large nose, sidelocks and Jewish prayer cap.

Indeed, Iran has long targeted Azerbaijan in part over its relations with Israel. Kazakhstan had previously escaped such scrutiny, but after Oct. 7, Iran attempted attacks against Israelis and Jews in the country. In August, Tehran hired a Tajik national to torch Jewish Agency offices and the Or Avner Jewish Center in Almaty.

These attempts are worrying. While the governments of both countries are committed to tolerance, marginal Islamist groups try to indoctrinate their populations with an extremist ideology that preaches hatred.

But today, these countries remain beacons of tolerance in a growingly antisemitic world.

Joseph Epstein is the director for legislative affairs at the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET), a fellow at the Yorktown Institute, and a research fellow at the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.