Overview
- The Israeli cabinet approved a proposal from Foreign Minister Gideon Sàar to formally recognize the killings and deportations of Armenians under the late Ottoman Empire as genocide, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing public support.
- Sàar framed the decision as doing the right thing and said Israel joins about 32 nations that have acknowledged the historical record.
- The government’s draft resolution condemned organized denial of the events and specifically criticized attempts to rewrite history, including allegations about Turkish changes to school textbooks.
- Sàar told ministers he had received a letter of thanks from the Armenian Apostolic Church and Jerusalem’s Armenian community, signaling strong symbolic validation for Armenian groups.
- Israeli officials said the move is likely to affect ties with Turkey, which rejects the genocide label, and could prompt diplomatic measures or a formal response from Ankara as relations already show strains.