The Israeli government on Sunday unanimously approved Foreign Minister Gideon Saar’s proposal to recognize the mass killings of Armenians during World War I as genocide, a decision widely interpreted as a diplomatic rebuke to Turkey amid deepening regional tensions.
The cabinet’s decision, which requires parliamentary approval, was described by the foreign ministry as a historic step. “It is never too late to do the right thing… this is both a moral and historical duty,” Saar said, accusing the Turkish government of systematically denying and minimizing the genocide through manipulative historical narratives.
Previous Israeli administrations avoided formal recognition to preserve ties with Turkey, once a key regional partner. However, since the Gaza conflict began, Turkey has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide—a charge Israel denies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retaliated by calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an “anti-semitic dictator who commits genocide against the Kurds.”
Turkey has suspended most trade with Israel and emerged as one of Hamas’s strongest diplomatic supporters. Saar emphasized the recognition does not constitute retaliation, stating: “The fact that Turkey promotes false narratives against Israel does not grant it immunity from historical truths.”
Azerbaijan, Israel’s ally, condemned the decision, warning it could strain bilateral relations with Baku, whose closest partner is Turkey.
So far, 32 countries have formally recognized the genocide, including the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Canada, Russia, and the Vatican. Armenians continue seeking international acknowledgment that mass killings under the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1917 constituted genocide, with estimates citing 1.5 million deaths—claims Turkey disputes, asserting both Armenians and Turks perished during World War I.
Armenia and Turkey maintain no diplomatic relations, though both have expressed recent interest in normalizing ties.
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