By Anietie anii-bassey
Israel has taken a significant step toward officially recognizing the mass killings of Armenians during the Ottoman Empire as genocide, marking a major shift in the country’s longstanding position and signaling a further deterioration in relations with Turkey.
On Sunday, Israel’s Cabinet unanimously approved a proposal declaring that the systematic violence committed against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I constituted genocide. The measure must still be approved by Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, before it becomes official government policy.
The decision represents one of the most consequential changes in Israel’s historical and diplomatic approach to the Armenian tragedy. For decades, successive Israeli governments avoided formally recognizing the events as genocide, largely out of concern that such a move would severely damage relations with Turkey, a country that had once been one of Israel’s closest regional partners.
Historians estimate that as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed or died as a result of mass deportations, massacres, starvation, and persecution carried out by Ottoman authorities between 1915 and 1917. The overwhelming majority of historians and genocide scholars regard the campaign as the first genocide of the 20th century.
Turkey, however, continues to reject that characterization. Ankara maintains that while many Armenians died during the turmoil of World War I, the deaths occurred amid civil conflict, disease, and widespread unrest rather than as part of a deliberate plan to exterminate the Armenian population.
Turkish officials also dispute widely cited death toll estimates and have consistently opposed international recognition of the events as genocide.
Presenting the proposal to the Cabinet, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the evidence documenting the atrocities is overwhelming and argued that continued denial of the events represents a distortion of historical truth.
Saar accused the Turkish government of conducting what he described as a long-running campaign to minimize and deny the historical record through institutional efforts aimed at reshaping public understanding of the events.
He said Israel had both a moral and historical responsibility to recognize the suffering endured by the Armenian people, emphasizing that acknowledging historical atrocities should never be dictated by political convenience.
“It is never too late to do the right thing,” Saar said following the Cabinet’s unanimous approval.
He also noted that numerous countries have already formally recognized the Armenian genocide, including the United States, Syria, Lebanon, France, Germany, Canada, and several European nations. Recognition has steadily expanded over recent decades despite strong opposition from Turkey.
Although individual Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have previously referred to the killings as genocide in speeches and public remarks, Israel has never formally adopted that position through legislation or a parliamentary vote. Sunday’s Cabinet decision therefore represents the closest Israel has come to officially recognizing the genocide.
The timing of the announcement comes against the backdrop of worsening relations between Israel and Turkey, whose diplomatic ties have deteriorated significantly over the past two decades. Once strategic allies with close military and economic cooperation, the two countries have increasingly clashed over regional conflicts and political disagreements.
Relations have become even more strained during the ongoing wars involving Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly condemned Israel’s military operations in Gaza and has emerged as one of its strongest international critics.
Turkey responded swiftly to Sunday’s decision, dismissing Israel’s move as politically motivated and accusing the Israeli government of attempting to divert international attention from its own actions in Gaza.
In a statement, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry argued that Israel was using the genocide recognition issue to distract from accusations surrounding its military campaign against Palestinians.
The ministry further claimed that Israel, which is facing proceedings before the International Court of Justice over allegations related to Gaza, was attempting to shift international focus away from those legal challenges.
Turkish officials also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and members of his government, referencing investigations by the International Criminal Court concerning alleged crimes committed during the conflict with Palestinians.
Israel has consistently rejected accusations that it is committing genocide in Gaza, arguing that its military campaign is directed at Hamas rather than civilians.
The war began after Hamas launched its unprecedented October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking hundreds hostage. Israel responded with a large-scale military offensive in Gaza that has continued for nearly three years.
According to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government, more than 73,000 people have been killed during the conflict, with women and children accounting for roughly half of the reported fatalities.
Israel disputes many casualty figures presented by Hamas authorities and maintains that it does not deliberately target civilians, accusing Hamas of embedding military infrastructure within densely populated civilian areas and using civilians as human shields.
International scrutiny of Israel’s military campaign has intensified in recent months. Last week, independent experts commissioned by the United Nations accused Israeli forces of deliberately targeting children in Gaza and reiterated allegations that Israel’s actions constitute genocide. Israeli officials strongly rejected the findings, describing the report as false, biased, and without factual basis.
If approved by the Knesset, Israel’s recognition of the Armenian genocide would place it alongside more than 30 countries that have formally acknowledged the events of 1915 as genocide. Such a move is expected to provoke further diplomatic tensions with Turkey while strengthening Israel’s ties with Armenia and Armenian communities worldwide.
It remains unclear when the proposal will be brought before lawmakers for a final vote, but Sunday’s unanimous Cabinet approval marks a historic milestone in Israel’s approach to one of the most debated and politically sensitive chapters of modern history.
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