The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday voted to recognize the genocide carried out against the Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks by Ottoman Turkey in the early 20th century.
“The government of Israel unanimously approved Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s proposal to recognize the Armenian Genocide,” Sa’ar’s office announced following the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.
“It is never too late to do the right thing,” he said in the statement.
Sa’ar announced on Thursday night that he would submit the resolution to the Cabinet, tweeting: “Recognizing the genocide perpetrated against the Armenian people in the final years of the Ottoman Empire is both a moral and historical duty.
“We must also firmly condemn any denial, minimization or distortion of the historical truth,” he added. “The resolution will subsequently be brought before the Knesset for a vote.”
To date, 34 countries, including the United States and Greece, have recognized the Armenian Genocide. Israel would be the 35th.
In August 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the first time publicly recognized the Armenian Genocide.
Asked by American podcaster Patrick Bet-David why Jerusalem has yet to recognize the genocide, Netanyahu said, “In fact, I think we have. I think the Knesset passed a resolution to that effect.”
On Aug. 1, 2016, lawmakers of the Knesset Education, Culture and Sports Committee issued a resolution that recognized the Armenian genocide, urging the government to acknowledge it as such.
Pressed on why no prime minister has publicly characterized the World War I-era events as genocide, Netanyahu said, “I just did. Here you go.”
A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office subsequently told JNS that it would not be adding to the comments made by Netanyahu.
In the past, Jerusalem’s Foreign Ministry assessed that recognition by the Israeli government would likely to lead to the expulsion of embassy staff in Ankara and the recalling of Turkey’s ambassador from Israel.
However, relations have soured since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan became more hostile toward the Jewish state and closer to Hamas following the Palestinian terrorist organization’s cross-border attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
On Saturday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry sharply rebuked Erdoğan after he accused “Zionism” of threatening Turkey’s survival, calling the Turkish leader a “dictator” who persecutes opponents and backs jihadist groups.
