Israel cabinet votes to recognise Armenian genocide as ties with Turkey worsen

Israel's Cabinet unanimously approved a proposal on Sunday to officially recognise the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as a genocide, a decision that still requires parliamentary approval. The move reflects the deepening rift between Israel and Turkey, which has long lobbied against such recognition.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed between 1915 and 1923, an event widely regarded by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey rejects the term, arguing that the deaths resulted from civil war and unrest, and that the numbers are inflated.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who brought the proposal to the cabinet, said: 'Despite the extensive and unambiguous historical documentation, the Armenian Genocide remains to this day the subject of an institutionalised campaign of denial and minimisation, including a manipulative rewriting of history, mainly by the Turkish government.' He added, 'It is never too late to do the right thing,' calling the recognition a 'moral and historical duty.'

Israel had avoided officially addressing the issue for years due to its strategic alliance with Turkey, but relations have deteriorated under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, especially amid ongoing conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have previously described the events as genocide, but the cabinet's vote marks the first formal government-level recognition.

Saar noted that 32 countries, including the United States, Syria, and Lebanon, have already classified the violence as genocide. The proposal now awaits a vote in the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Turkey has not yet issued a formal response.

Israel faces separate accusations of genocide in its military campaign in Gaza, which began after Hamas's attack on October 7, 2023. The Gaza Health Ministry, run by Hamas, reports over 73,000 deaths, roughly half women and children. Israel denies targeting civilians and accuses Hamas of using human shields. A recent UN-commissioned report accused Israel of deliberately shooting children and committing genocide, which Israel dismissed as a 'libellous sham.'

This development occurs against a backdrop of shifting alliances in the Middle East, with Israel seeking closer ties with other nations while its relationship with Turkey continues to sour.