Israel had previously refrained from formal recognition, despite several parliamentary initiatives, primarily to preserve diplomatic relations with Turkey.
However, relations between the two nations have worsened in recent years, particularly due to Israel’s policies toward Palestinians.
In a historic move, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become the first leader of an Israeli government to officially recognize the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire 110 years ago as a genocide, according to local Israeli media reports on August 27, 2025.
During a podcast interview with U.S. businessman Patrick Bet-David, the host questioned why Israel had not previously acknowledged the genocide against “Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks” by the Ottoman Empire. Netanyahu responded decisively, stating, “I just did. You’re welcome.”
Historians estimate that approximately 1.5 million Armenians perished in 1915 and 1916 during World War I through systematic killings orchestrated by the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey, the legal successor to the Ottoman Empire, disputes the use of the term “genocide” to describe the deliberate extermination of Armenians, acknowledging instead the deaths of 300,000 to 500,000 people in massacres.
In 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Israel of perpetrating a “genocide” in the Gaza Strip
Other nations, including the U.S. Congress in 2019 and the German Bundestag in 2016, have recognized the Armenian massacres as genocide, with the latter causing significant strain in German-Turkish relations at the time.
Netanyahu’s acknowledgment marks a significant shift in Israel’s stance, reflecting evolving geopolitical dynamics
