Israel’s government on Sunday unanimously approved a resolution that formally recognises the mass killing and deportation of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during the First World War as a genocide. The vote, proposed by Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, must still be endorsed by the Knesset to take full legal effect. Saar called the move a “moral and historical duty” and said it was “never too late to do the right thing,” noting that more than 1.5 million Armenians perished and that a millennia-old cultural heritage in Anatolia was destroyed. The Israeli foreign ministry said the recognition aligned Israel with 32 other countries that have already acknowledged the genocide.

From Jerusalem, the decision is framed as a matter of historical truth rather than a direct retaliation against Turkey, despite the open hostility between the two governments. Saar insisted the step was “not an act of vengeance” for what he described as Turkey’s “horrific rhetoric” under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, but emphasised that Ankara’s promotion of “false narratives” did not grant it immunity from history. Ankara has long and vehemently rejected the genocide label, acknowledging large-scale loss of life but blaming civil war and unrest. Turkish officials have yet to respond to Sunday’s vote, but diplomatic sources anticipate an angry reaction, given that Turkey has repeatedly threatened consequences for any state moving toward recognition.

The cabinet vote upends a longstanding Israeli policy of avoiding the issue for fear of damaging strategic and commercial ties with Turkey, once a close regional partner. Relations deteriorated markedly after Erdoğan’s rise and have cratered during the Gaza war: Turkey has accused Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians, an allegation Israel categorically denies and brands as antisemitic libel. The mutual recriminations have grown personal, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling Erdoğan an “antisemitic dictator” and the Turkish leader likening Israeli officials to Nazis. In recent weeks, Turkey has suspended much bilateral trade and emerged as a vocal diplomatic backer of Hamas.

The proposed resolution now goes to the Knesset, where approval is likely given the cabinet’s unanimous support and Netanyahu’s own August 2025 statement recognising the Armenian genocide. Observers in Europe and Washington see the move as part of a broader regional realignment driven by Israel’s deteriorating regional environment and Turkey’s assertive foreign policy. The Armenian Apostolic Church in Jerusalem welcomed the decision in a letter to Saar, while Armenian diaspora groups expressed cautious optimism that the parliamentary vote would follow swiftly. No timetable for the Knesset debate has been announced, but preliminary discussions could begin as early as this week.