The Israeli government unanimously approved the recognition of the Armenian massacres during World War I as genocide on Sunday, according to Arab News.
This recognition marked a direct rebuke to Turkiye and sharp escalation that further deteriorate the uneasy relations between Israel and Turkiye.
Ankara has been a harsh critic of Israeli since the beginning of its war on Gaza in October 2023, with Turkiye announcing that it would join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
In 2025, Turkiye decided to sever all commercial and economic ties with Israel and close its airspace to Israeli government planes over Gaza War.
“A historic decision: the Israeli government has unanimously approved Foreign Minister Gideon Saar’s proposal to recognize the Armenian genocide,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting, Saar said that the Armenian genocide remained the focus of an institutionalized campaign of denial and minimization, including systematic effort to rewrite history, primarily by the Turkish government.
“I think the time has come for Israel, as a Jewish state, to formally accept this position … It is never too late to do the right thing… this is both a moral and historical duty,” Saar added.
For decades, successive Israeli governments declined to formally recognize the Armenian genocide in an attempt to maintain ties with Turkiye, once considered one of Israel’s closest strategic partners in the region.
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