Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday publicly recognized the Armenian genocide, marking the first time an Israeli leader has done so and signaling a potential change in Israel’s long-standing policy on the issue.
Speaking on the Patrick Bet-David podcast, Netanyahu was asked why Israel had never officially recognized the Ottoman Empire’s mass killings of Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks during World War I. “I think we have. I think the Knesset passed a resolution to that effect,” he said, before adding more directly: “I just did. Here you go.” No such Knesset resolution has ever become law.
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Israel, for decades, has been among those hesitant to apply the term, largely to preserve relations with Turkey, once a significant trade and security partner. That stance has become harder to maintain as ties with Ankara worsen during the ongoing Gaza war. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has emerged as one of Israel’s fiercest critics, openly supporting Hamas and praising the group’s October 7, 2023, assault that killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and resulted in the kidnapping of 251 hostages.
Historians estimate that roughly 1.5 million Armenians were killed through massacres, imprisonment and forced deportation between 1915 and 1923. While many governments avoid using the term genocide out of concern for ties with Turkey, 34 countries have officially recognized it. Ankara, which succeeded the Ottoman Empire, rejects the designation and insists the deaths were not part of a systematic campaign.