The Israeli Cabinet unanimously approved the proposal on Sunday that name the violence against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide.
The move, which still needs to be approved by Parliament, shows the deterioration of relations between Israel and Turkey. Turkey has lobbied hard to prevent countries from officially recognizing the 1915 massacre of Armenians as genocide, as the Armenians have been pushing for.
Historians estimate that around 1.5 million Armenians were killed by the Ottoman Turks during the period World War Ian event widely considered by scholars to be the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies it that these deaths constitute genocide, saying that the number of people has increased and that those killed were victims of civil war and riots.
For years, Israel did not officially address the issue for fear of angering Turkey, but that relationship has soured over the past two decades, especially in recent years. Wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran they pulled.
“Despite extensive and ambiguous historical documents, the Armenian Genocide to this day remains the subject of a sustained campaign to deny and minimize history, including the rewriting of history, especially by the Turkish government,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who brought the decision to the government.
He noted that the leaders of Israel, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuthey have previously described the violence against the Armenian people as genocide. But it was never officially recognized in a vote by the Israeli Knesset.
“It’s not too late to do the right thing,” Saar said Sunday, calling it a “moral and historical duty.”
He mentioned that 32 countries, including the United States, Syria and Lebanon, have also classified this violence as a genocide. It was not yet known when Sunday’s decision, which was unanimously approved by the Israeli Cabinet, will go to parliament for approval. There was no immediate reaction from Turkey.
Israel and Turkey were once close friends, but relations soured during Turkey’s Islamist insurgency President Recep Tayyip Erdoganleading Israel to reconsider its position.
Israel has faced repeated accusations, including from the United Nations and Turkey, that its attack on Gaza amounts to genocide. Israel, which was founded after the Holocaust, denies the allegations.
Israel started the war in response to the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The Ministry of Health in Gaza, which is part of the government of Hamas, says that more than 73,000 people have been killed, almost half of them women and children. Israel says it is not targeting civilians and accuses Hamas of using civilians as human shields.
Last week, a panel of independent experts commissioned by the United Nations accused Israel of deliberately shooting children in Gaza and repeated allegations that Israel carried out the massacre. Israel called the report a “blasphemous hoax.”
