Sa'ar to bring Armenian Genocide recognition to vote, cites Israel's 'moral, historical duty'

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on X/Twitter that he will submit a resolution for Israel to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide at the upcoming government meeting. He stated that recognizing the genocide is both a moral and historical duty and that Israel must condemn any denial or minimization of the historical truth.

The Foreign Ministry added that the Armenian Genocide, which began in April 1915, remains the subject of an institutionalized campaign of denial and minimization, primarily by Turkey. This campaign includes the manipulative rewriting of history books, despite extensive and unambiguous historical documentation.

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Recognizing the genocide perpetrated against the Armenian people in the final years of the Ottoman Empire is both a moral and historical duty.

The Armenian Genocide, spearheaded by the Ottoman Empire's Committee of Union and Progress, led to the deaths of approximately 1.5 million Armenians. It involved the arrest and murder of Armenian intellectuals and leaders, forced conversions of women and children, and death marches through the Syrian desert that resulted in mass murder, starvation, and thirst. Ethnic cleansing continued through the Turkish War of Independence.

As of 2026, 32 UN member states, including the United States, Canada, Russia, and Germany, have formally recognized the genocide. The Holy See and the European Parliament have also officially acknowledged the event, and over 200 memorials have been erected worldwide.

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We must also firmly condemn any denial, minimization, or distortion of the historical truth.