Government unanimously approves landmark proposal to recognize Armenian genocide

The government has unanimously approved a proposal for Israel to officially recognize the Armenian genocide.

“It is never too late to do the right thing,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar says in a Hebrew-language statement on the move.

“This horrifying genocide, which took place more than 100 years ago and about whose historical facts there is truly no dispute, involved the murder of one and a half million people and the destruction of an ancient cultural and historical heritage,” he says.

“In my view, it is our moral duty as Jews —-and certainly as the state of the Jewish people — to make the decision we made today. I would like to thank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his backing, and my fellow government ministers for their support,” the foreign minister says.

Sa’ar said last week he would propose a cabinet resolution today to officially recognize the genocide against the Armenian people during the final years of the Ottoman Empire — a move that will no doubt provoke rival Turkey. Armenians have long sought international recognition of the killings in the early 20th century, which reportedly left some 1.5 million of their people dead, as a genocide. Turkey — the Ottoman Empire’s successor state — strongly rejects the allegation that the massacres, imprisonment and forced deportation of Armenians amounted to genocide.

Jerusalem has previously refrained from recognizing the World War I atrocities as genocide over fears it could harm its relationship with Ankara. However, with ties deteriorating sharply since Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rose to power, particularly following the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza — where the Turkish leader has claimed genocide  — Netanyahu last year said for the first time that he recognized the genocide.

Asked last night if he supported the proposal, Netanyahu stated that he had never made any effort to block this move or any past proposals, saying, “I certainly support it,” but declined to comment on whether there was any concern about how Turkey would react.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.