Israeli Cabinet Approves Official Recognition of Armenian Genocide

The Cabinet of Israel unanimously approved a resolution on June 28, 2026, to formally recognize the mass killings of approximately 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire starting in 1915 as a genocide. Proposed by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, the measure describes the recognition as a "moral and historical duty." The resolution now awaits final ratification by the Knesset to become official state policy, marking a departure from decades of diplomatic caution intended to preserve ties with Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reacted with fury, dismissing the claims as "slander" and asserting that there is no genocide in Turkish history. He characterized the move as a malicious attempt to cover up Israeli military actions in Gaza and the "blood of 75,000 innocent people" on the hands of the Netanyahu administration. Similarly, Azerbaijan condemned the decision as an "unacceptable" distortion of historical facts, warning that it could damage its strategic relationship with Israel.

Bilateral tensions escalated further as Erdoğan described Zionism as "genocidal, occupying, expansionist," and an existential threat to Turkey. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Israel takes these threats "very seriously" and intends to raise the matter with the United States. While Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan acknowledged the move, he declined to respond formally, stating that refraining from the "weaponization" of the genocide is in Armenia's interests as it seeks to normalize ties with Turkey.