Israeli Cabinet Unanimously Recognizes Armenian Genocide, Turkey Rejects Move as 'Politically Motivated'

On June 28, 2026, the Israeli cabinet unanimously voted to formally recognize the 1915–1923 killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire as genocide, following a resolution from Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who called it a 'moral and historical duty' and said 'it's never too late to do the right thing.' The measure still requires Knesset ratification. Turkey's Foreign Ministry rejected the move as a politically motivated attempt to distract from Israel's conduct in Gaza, stating that a government 'being tried at the International Court of Justice for genocide against the people of Gaza' had no standing to lecture Türkiye on history. The move comes amid a sharp deterioration in Turkey-Israel relations since the Gaza war began in October 2023.