Overview
- The cabinet unanimously approved Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s proposal to formally recognize the Ottoman-era killings of Armenians as a genocide, a vote held Sunday that Sa’ar called a moral and historical duty.
- The decision is not final because it must be voted on by the Knesset plenary, which the government has said it will schedule for next week.
- Turkey’s foreign ministry sharply condemned the move, accusing Israel of using the recognition to distract from its conduct in Gaza and calling the vote politically motivated.
- Azerbaijan issued a rare rebuke, calling the recognition a 'distortion of the historical facts' and warning it could harm close energy and arms ties with Israel.
- Israel had long avoided formal recognition to protect relations with Ankara and Baku; the cabinet move joins roughly 32 other governments that have recognized the killings and could reshape regional diplomacy and strategic partnerships.