Israel Provokes Turkey and Acknowledges the 'Genocide of the Armenians'

SadaNews - The Israeli government unanimously recognized today, Sunday, what it termed the "genocide of the Armenians" in 1915 during World War I, in a move that indicates a growing rift with Turkey.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated, "In a historic decision: the Israeli government unanimously agreed to Foreign Minister Gidon Sa'ar's proposal to recognize the genocide of the Armenians."

The cabinet decision still requires approval from the Knesset (parliament) to become effective.

Turkey has not yet commented on the decision by Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which is being sought by international justice for alleged genocide in the Gaza Strip, but the allegations against the Ottoman state of committing "genocide" against the Armenians are a sensitive issue for Ankara, which consistently denies them.

Turkey rejects the accusations of "genocide against the Armenians" in 1915 during the Ottoman Empire, claiming that what occurred was an ethnic conflict between Turks and Armenians.

It considers the numbers speaking of one million or one and a half million Armenian deaths to be greatly exaggerated, asserting that the Turkish side also lost thousands of lives at the hands of Armenians as a result of the war that ignited on the margins of World War I at the time.

Since the start of the Israeli extermination war on the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, the political crisis between Tel Aviv and Ankara has escalated, with Turkey labeling Israel as a "terrorist state that kills civilians."

In several statements, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized that the Netanyahu government represents the most dangerous threat to the security of the Middle East, describing it as "bloodthirsty," which has angered Israel.

The dispute between Turkey and Israel also intensified following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8, 2024, as Israel sees the new situation as an opportunity to destroy Syrian military capabilities, while Turkey seeks to support the Syrians in building a new army equipped with the necessary capabilities and equipment as part of support for rebuilding Syria after years of conflict.