{"id":537365,"date":"2026-07-12T06:34:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T06:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/537365\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T06:34:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T06:34:28","slug":"israels-recognition-of-the-events-of-1915-as-the-armenian-genocide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/537365\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel’s recognition of the events of 1915 as the Armenian Genocide"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Natalia<\/a> \"Defence24\"
\n Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar
\n
Photo. The Knesset (official website)<\/p>\n

On Sunday, June 28, the Israeli government unanimously approved a resolution recognising the crimes committed against the Armenians during World War I as genocide. This decision can undoubtedly be considered groundbreaking, ending decades of diplomatic restraint. At the same time, it was a clear signal of the deepening conflict between T\u00fcrkiye and Israel. However, it is worth noting that relations between the two countries had already deteriorated, specifically following the outbreak of the Gaza War, which was a direct consequence of the attacks perpetrated by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on Israel in October 2023.<\/p>\n

The Israeli government\u2019s recent decision is being interpreted as a direct response to the sharp deterioration in relations with T\u00fcrkiye at the state level, as well as to the aftermath of the intense rhetorical conflict between the leaders of both countries in the context of the Gaza War. Tel Aviv\u2019s new policy subsequently sparked strong protests from Ankara and further raised serious concerns in Azerbaijan, a strategic partner of Israel. Regardless of whether this decision is based on applicable international law and historical evidence, it cannot be ignored that it is, above all, a tool used to exploit historical memory in the current geopolitical game, which, in turn, has the potential to permanently alter the balance of power in the Eastern Mediterranean.<\/p>\n

Main reasons behind Israel\u2019s recognition of the events of 1915 as the Armenian Genocide <\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s decision to recognise the events of 1915 as the Armenian Genocide appears to have been shaped by a combination of geopolitical considerations and the country\u2019s evolving foreign policy priorities.<\/p>\n

1. Open conflict with T\u00fcrkiye and the desire for retaliation: By far the most important factor worth mentioning is the drastic deterioration of Israeli-Turkish relations following the outbreak of the Gaza War in October 2023. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan has become one of the harshest critics of Israeli military operations in the Middle East, accusing Tel Aviv of genocide against Palestinians and repeatedly comparing Israeli policymakers to Nazis. Furthermore, T\u00fcrkiye has suspended most trade with Israel and become one of Hamas\u2019s most vocal diplomatic supporters, despite the relatively high level of cooperation between Ankara and Tel Aviv before the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In response to T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s increasingly confrontational rhetoric, the Israeli government appears to have used recognition as a tool of political pressure by addressing one of Ankara\u2019s most sensitive historical issues.<\/p>\n

2. Shifting Israel\u2019s strategic paradigm: For decades, successive Israeli governments refused to formally recognise the 1915 genocide in order to protect their crucial diplomatic, military, and, above all, economic ties with T\u00fcrkiye and Azerbaijan. Given that current relations with Ankara are already strained and unlikely to be restored anytime soon, Israel has concluded that it no longer has anything of value to protect at the expense of remaining silent about the historical truth that it itself recognises.<\/p>\n

3. Declared moral obligation: The government\u2019s official justification, promoted in particular by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar, is primarily the \u201cmoral and historical obligation\u201d of the Jewish state, which \u201cunderstands the suffering of an oppressed people like no other.\u201d The minister rejected claims that this was an act of revenge. According to Israeli officials, T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s dissemination of \u201chostile narratives\u201d against Israel does not guarantee immunity from confrontation with the past.<\/p>\n

4. Long-term domestic pressures: The government\u2019s decision, although dictated by the current political situation, is based on the work of Israeli scholars, public figures, and politicians (primarily former left-wing politicians such as Zehava Galon and Yossi Sarid), who have been lobbying the Knesset since the early 1980s to recognise the crimes against the Armenians as genocide. They argued that, as a nation that survived the Holocaust, Israel has a special obligation to show solidarity with other victims.<\/p>\n

5. Instrumental use of history and domestic political calculations: Finally, it cannot be ruled out that Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar also initiated this move for domestic political reasons, specifically to strengthen his position on the ruling Likud party\u2019s electoral lists and demonstrate Israel\u2019s internal unity. Radical critics of Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s government, on the other hand, argue that the recognition of the genocide is intended to serve as a smokescreen, diverting attention from allegations of war crimes against Palestinians and the ongoing proceedings before the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice in The Hague.<\/p>\n

In summary, although demands for the recognition of the genocide had been systematically made by historians and left-wing politicians in Israel since the early 1980s, it was only the Gaza War, harsh Turkish rhetoric, and the fact that Israel had lost all the benefits of its strategic partnership with Ankara that opened the political window for the government to take this historic step.<\/p>\n

Why did Israel avoid formal recognition for decades? <\/p>\n

For decades, successive Israeli governments consistently avoided officially recognising the events of 1915 as the Armenian Genocide, driven by a complex set of geopolitical, historical, and diplomatic considerations.<\/p>\n

The primary reason was undoubtedly the desire to maintain close military, economic, and intelligence ties with T\u00fcrkiye and Azerbaijan. In the 1950s, facing hostility from Arab states, Israel deliberately built close ties with countries such as T\u00fcrkiye to break its political isolation in the region. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan, a close ally of Ankara, eventually became Israel\u2019s main oil supplier, a major recipient of Israeli weapons, and a key strategic partner, making its territory available for intelligence and operational purposes against Iran.<\/p>\n

Equally important, for decades Israel maintained that the Armenian issue was an \u201cinternal dispute\u201d between T\u00fcrkiye and Armenia, to be resolved through historical research and the opening of archives rather than through political pronouncements. Even after Recep Tayyip Erdo\u011fan came to power and gradually cooled relations, Israeli decision-makers preferred to avoid provoking Turkish nationalism and deliberately sidelined the issue, hoping to maintain relations based on pragmatic, mutually beneficial interests.<\/p>\n

The belief in the \u201cuniqueness of the Holocaust\u201d also appears to have posed a significant psychological and political barrier. This phenomenon is referred to as \u201cethnic competition\u201d surrounding the status of the Shoah (Hebrew for \u201ccatastrophe\u201d or \u201cdestruction\u201d) as a crime unique in human history. Israel traditionally avoids equating any other national crimes or tragedies with the extermination of European Jews.<\/p>\n

Differences in the interpretation of historical facts also posed a problem. Israeli politicians often pointed to the historical differences between the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide. They argued that in the Ottoman Empire, Armenian partisans (supported by Tsarist Russia) actively fought the authorities and demanded autonomy, which was the direct cause of the oppression of the Armenians, while Jews in Germany before World War II were loyal citizens striving for assimilation. Furthermore, they pointed out that the Ottoman authorities did not seek the global annihilation of the entire Armenian nation, as evidenced by the survival of a large Armenian community in Istanbul. However, this perception changed dramatically with the emergence of Turkish accusations that Israel itself was committing genocide.<\/p>\n

Armenia\u2019s reaction <\/p>\n

It is worth noting Armenia\u2019s ambivalent and reserved stance, driven by concerns that politicising the Armenian tragedy would harm the reconciliation process with its Turkish neighbour. This situation can therefore be described as a complex web of connections between morality, historical truth, and hard-line national security interests.<\/p>\n

Armenian decision-makers are primarily concerned with protecting the peace process with Ankara. The Pashinyan administration is pursuing the \u201cReal Armenia\u201d doctrine, which entails a painful but strategically necessary reconciliation with T\u00fcrkiye in order to open its borders and break its long-standing isolation. Israel\u2019s sudden move carries the risk of triggering a wave of nationalist backlash in T\u00fcrkiye, which could derail these extremely fragile and complex negotiations. Significantly, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in 2024 that international recognition of the genocide is no longer a priority of Armenian foreign policy.<\/p>\n

More importantly, there is also a visible reluctance to exploit history, especially by third countries not directly involved in these historical events. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has openly described Israel\u2019s actions as being motivated by the current Israeli-Turkish conflict. He emphasised that it is in the state\u2019s interest not to participate in attempts to transform the Armenian Genocide into a \u201cpolitical weapon\u201d aimed at T\u00fcrkiye. Pashinyan also noted that even if T\u00fcrkiye itself recognised the genocide, Armenia would not feel obligated to comment on it to avoid being drawn into political power plays.<\/p>\n

This current reticence also stems from the very difficult bilateral relations between Yerevan and Tel Aviv. Armenia deeply resents Israel for ignoring its appeals for neutrality and supplying advanced weaponry to Azerbaijan. These weapons played a key role in the conflicts between 2020 and 2023, resulting in Armenia suffering severe territorial losses. Moreover, in 2024, Armenia faced sharp criticism in Israel when it officially recognised the sovereignty of the Palestinian State.<\/p>\n

From a domestic perspective and in terms of internal interests, the Israeli government\u2019s demonstrative move complicates the situation for Pashinyan, who has managed to retain power for another term. It therefore provides the domestic political opposition with a strong argument to accuse the prime minister of weakness and concessions to T\u00fcrkiye, an accusation he has already faced during this year\u2019s political campaigns.<\/p>\n

T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s reaction to Israel\u2019s decision <\/p>\n

T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s reaction to the Israeli government\u2019s decision was immediate and exceptionally harsh, paving the way for an escalation that went beyond the existing diplomatic disputes. The Turkish Foreign Ministry described Israel\u2019s actions as a political attempt to conceal \u201cits own crimes\u201d and accusations of genocide in the Gaza Strip from the International Court of Justice. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, in turn, called Israel \u201ca burden that humanity can no longer bear,\u201d which the Israeli side interpreted as open incitement to the destruction of the Jewish state, thereby hoping to elicit a sympathetic international response. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa\u2019ar himself condemned these remarks, calling them \u201ctextbook incitement to genocide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israeli politicians, business representatives, and analysts also warned that T\u00fcrkiye could respond to the Knesset\u2019s decision with a range of specific retaliatory measures, including a transport blockade and a complete suspension of trade. The authorities in Ankara could close Turkish airspace to Israeli airlines and completely suspend bilateral trade. It is worth noting that T\u00fcrkiye has already suspended most economic relations due to the war in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n

It is also likely that T\u00fcrkiye will launch a broad diplomatic offensive in international forums, including the International Court of Justice (where it has already joined South Africa in filing charges) and the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has openly called for global sanctions against the Jewish state. Furthermore, analysts predict that Ankara may seek support in this dispute from Washington and Brussels, taking advantage of the July visit to Ankara by representatives of influential NATO countries.<\/p>\n

Conclusions <\/p>\n

In summary, the Israeli government\u2019s decision drastically deepens the existing crisis in relations with T\u00fcrkiye and opens a new, potentially dangerous chapter in their rivalry. It also has profound repercussions for the region, primarily by complicating relations with its ally Azerbaijan and placing Armenia in an extremely difficult situation.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s decision may be seen as illustrating the transactional nature of modern diplomacy. By treating its neighbours\u2019 turbulent history as an asset or a risk to be exploited on the global chessboard, Israel may not only risk its pragmatic interests in the South Caucasus but also inadvertently undermine the prospects for lasting political stabilisation with T\u00fcrkiye, which consistently strives to play an increasingly prominent role on the international stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar Photo. The Knesset (official website) On Sunday, June 28, the Israeli government unanimously…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537366,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[93763,14330,85,45416,46,221444,43,1582,14661],"class_list":["post-537365","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-armenia","tag-azerbaijan","tag-il","tag-international-court-of-justice","tag-israel","tag-kneset","tag-news","tag-turkey","tag-turkiye"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=537365"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537365\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537366"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537365"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}