In a unanimous vote on Sunday, the Israeli cabinet officially recognized the Armenian genocide. The decision is expected to further strain relations with Turkey, which has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza while steadfastly denying that the Ottoman Empire’s mass killing of Armenians during World War I fits the definition.
Following the vote, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar—who championed the initiative—posted on X that “it’s never too late to do the right thing.” He noted that Israel is now among 33 nations to uphold this moral obligation by acknowledging historical facts and rejecting denialism.
Greece, Cyprus, and most EU members recognize the Armenian Genocide, as does the United States. In 2021, Joe Biden became the first sitting U.S. president to officially use the word “genocide” in his Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day address.
In a separate Hebrew video statement, Sa’ar emphasized that the tragedy, which occurred over a century ago and resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million people alongside the destruction of an ancient culture, is historically undeniable. He stated that recognizing the event is a profound moral duty for the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
Israel-Turkey rivalry and the Armenian Genocide
Historically, Israel avoided using the term “genocide” regarding the Ottoman Empire’s campaign of massacres, deportations, and imprisonment against Armenians, aiming to preserve diplomatic ties with Turkey. For the first time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly recognized the genocide in August 2025.
While Turkey acknowledges that many Armenians died in clashes during WWI, it rejects the death toll and vehemently denies that the killings were a systematically planned genocide.
However, diplomatic relations between the two nations collapsed following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has openly supported Hamas, compared Israel’s actions to Nazi Germany, and halted nearly all trade with the country. Israel has fiercely rejected Turkey’s accusations of genocide in Gaza.
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