Israel recognizes death of 1.5 million Armenian Christians in Ottoman Empire during WWI as genocide

By Mike Glenn - The Washington Times - Monday, June 29, 2026

The Israeli government approved a proposal to designate the mass killing of Armenian Christians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide.

“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar posted Sunday on X. “I thank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the support and the government ministers for their unanimous support in approving the resolution proposal that I initiated for Israel’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide.”

Mr. Sa’ar said the Israeli government has “fulfilled a moral obligation by recognizing the historical truth and rejecting attempts to deny it.”

Israel’s formal recognition of the Armenian genocide comes ahead of President Trump’s trip to Turkey for the start Monday of a two-day NATO summit in Ankara. It will mark the 36th official meeting of the heads of state and governments of the alliance. The agenda is expected to focus heavily on greater burden-sharing, and the shifting dynamics of U.S. policy in Europe.

Mr. Netanyahu’s Cabinet unanimously approved the resolution on Sunday. After it is approved by the Knesset, Israel will join 32 countries — including the U.S. — that have passed parliamentary or governmental resolutions acknowledging the Armenian genocide.

Turkey’s government objects to the term genocide to describe the Ottoman Empire’s atrocities against the Armenians. Ankara has never denied that a large number of Armenians died during the period, but it has argued that it was a tragic consequence of World War I, rather than a systematic campaign of extermination.

The Israeli Cabinet vote comes amid growing tensions between Turkey and Israel, which had robust relations before the election of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He has accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip during its war against Hamas.

In a statement to Turkish media, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz called the Israeli resolution “an attempt to cover up their own crimes.”

Israel is acknowledging the Armenian genocide despite the country’s formal recognition of the State of Palestine in June 2024. Officials in Armenia’s capital of Yerevan called the situation in the Gaza Strip “catastrophic.”

“We support the ‘two-state’ solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We are convinced that this is the only way to ensure that both Palestinians and Israelis can fulfill their legitimate aspirations,” Armenian Foreign Ministry officials said in a statement.

The Armenian National Committee-International, an umbrella organization of advocacy groups advocating for Armenian issues, noted that Mr. Netanyahu’s government has signed off on the measure. But that’s just the first step, ANC-I officials said.

“If and when this initiative reaches its logical conclusion, and the Israeli parliament also approves the recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a matter of state policy, we will welcome that position,” they said in a statement.

President Trump has been complimentary to Mr. Erdogan, calling him “a great leader, a very strong person,” last week while speaking to reporters at the Oval Office alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The Trump administration is expected to push through a proposed $750 million sale of jet engines to Turkey because of its ties to Russia. Rep. Gregory Meeks, New York Democrat, put a hold on the sale because of Ankara’s continuing use of the Russian S-400 air defense system.

“There is bipartisan opposition,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, New York Republican, said on X. “As long as Turkey is under the leadership of Erdogan, who aligns himself with Iran and Russia, harbors Hamas and remains the only NATO member not to sanction Russia, Turkey should not receive our best jets and military equipment.”