Israel Cabinet backs Armenian genocide recognition, angering Turkey
The measure still needs Knesset approval and comes as Israel’s relations with Turkey continue to deteriorate over Gaza and other conflicts.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Israel’s Cabinet voted unanimously Sunday to advance formal recognition of the Ottoman Empire’s World War I-era violence against Armenians as genocide, according to The Associated Press. The move would mark a significant shift in Israeli policy if Parliament gives final approval.
The proposal, brought by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, still requires a vote in the Knesset. AP reported that it was not immediately clear when lawmakers would take up the measure.
Armenians have long pressed governments to recognize the killings and deportations around 1915 as genocide. Historians estimate that as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks during that period, and many scholars describe the events as the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey rejects that classification. Ankara says the number of dead has been overstated and argues that Armenians who died were casualties of civil war and broader unrest, according to AP.
Israel had avoided formal recognition for years because of concerns about damaging relations with Turkey. AP reported that those ties have worsened over the past two decades and have been strained further by Israel’s recent wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
Saar said Sunday that Turkish denial and minimization of the Armenian killings continued despite extensive historical evidence. He said Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, had previously used the term genocide for the Armenian deaths, but Israel had not adopted that position through a Knesset vote.
Saar also said 32 countries, including the United States, Syria and Lebanon, have recognized the killings as genocide. He described the Israeli move as a moral and historical obligation.
Turkey condemned the Cabinet decision, calling it a politically driven attempt to divert attention from Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. In a statement, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry accused Israel of persecuting Palestinians and pointed to the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice over the war in Gaza.
The Turkish ministry also referred to arrest warrants connected to the International Criminal Court investigation into alleged crimes against Palestinians. Israel denies accusations that its actions in Gaza amount to genocide.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, says more than 73,000 people have been killed, about half of them women and children. Israel says it does not target civilians and accuses Hamas of using civilians as shields.
AP reported that a group of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations last week accused Israel of deliberately shooting children in Gaza and repeated allegations of genocide. Israel dismissed that report as false and defamatory.
The dispute adds another point of friction between Israel and Turkey, which were once close partners. Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has become one of Israel’s sharpest regional critics, while Israel has shown greater willingness to take positions that Ankara opposes.
This story draws on original reporting from NPR.