Israeli government unanimously approves proposal to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide
Israel's cabinet formally recognizes 1.5 million Armenian deaths at the hands of the Ottoman Empire as genocide, despite years of diplomatic hesitation over Turkish ties
Israel's cabinet unanimously voted to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by Ottoman forces in the late Ottoman Empire period. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who spearheaded the proposal, announced immediately after the vote, "Just a short while ago, the Government of Israel approved the resolution I brought before it to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide."
The decision now heads to the Knesset plenum for a parliamentary vote.
Sa'ar framed recognition as a moral imperative rooted in Jewish identity. "This horrific genocide, which took place more than a century ago and whose historical facts are no longer seriously disputed, claimed the lives of 1.5 million people and destroyed an ancient cultural and historical heritage," he said. "As Jews, and especially as the nation-state of the Jewish people, I believe it is our moral duty to make this decision."
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The cabinet's resolution explicitly condemns any denial, minimization, or distortion of historical truth regarding the genocide. Israel's move aligns it with 32 UN member states that formally recognize the Armenian Genocide, including the United States, Canada, Russia, and Germany. The European Parliament and the Holy See have also officially recognized the atrocity.
Turkey has consistently denied that the massacres, imprisonment, and forced deportations of Armenians constituted genocide, despite extensive historical documentation. Officials describe Turkey's position as an "institutionalized campaign of denial and minimization" that includes the "manipulative rewriting of history books."
Nevertheless, the recognition threatens Israel's diplomatic standing with Azerbaijan, a key regional partner. Israel has previously supplied weapons to Azerbaijan during its recent conflicts with Armenia, and the genocide recognition is expected to strain bilateral relations. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is also anticipated to respond negatively to the decision.