Israel officially recognizes WWI Armenian Genocide, drawing Turkish ire

The Israeli government has officially recognized the genocide of the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The cabinet unanimously approved a proposal from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gideon Saar, to acknowledge the atrocities.

This decision, which requires parliamentary approval, has been met with sharp condemnation from Turkey. Ankara characterized it as a "political decision to cover up crimes committed by the Israeli army against the Palestinian population in Gaza." The Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that Israel is attempting to conceal its own alleged crimes by making this political decision regarding the events of 1915.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated, "It is never too late to do the right thing." The genocide, which began in 1915, saw Armenians in the Ottoman Empire systematically murdered or forced into deadly desert marches. Historians estimate that between 1.5 million Armenians were killed during 1915 and 1916.

Turkey acknowledges massacres resulting in 300,000 to 500,000 deaths but denies that the Armenian population was systematically exterminated. Relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated in recent years, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza in 2023, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu labeling Erdogan an "antisemitic dictator committing genocide against the Kurds."