Israel on Sunday officially recognized the mass killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century as genocide. The unanimous cabinet vote marks a sharp departure from Israel's past reluctance to take a formal position, a caution long tied to its desire to preserve ties with Turkey, Politico Europe reports. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called the slaughter of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 a historically well-documented genocide and criticized what he described as an institutionalized effort by Turkey's government to deny it. More than 30 countries, including the US, France, and Germany, already use the genocide label. Turkey condemned Israel's move.
The measure needs the approval of parliament to become official, per the AP. Relations between the nations has been strained by Israel's war in Gaza, launched after Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks and now blamed by Gaza health officials for more than 73,000 Palestinian deaths. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, per Politico, a charge Israel denies. Turkey's vice president called the Armenian decision an attempt to "cover up" Israeli actions, while Sa'ar insisted the recognition was not retaliation but a matter of "historical truths"—and, for Israel, a "moral and historical duty." During a trip to Armenia in February, Vice President JD Vance used "Armenian Genocide" in a post, then deleted it.
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