The Israeli government voted on Sunday to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide, following a resolution proposal put forth by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar late last week.
“The Israeli government approved a short time ago the resolution I presented to it recognizing the Armenian genocide," Sa'ar said following the vote. "It's never too late to do the right thing."
"This horrific genocide, which took place more than 100 years ago and regarding which there is no real dispute over the historical facts, included the murder of 1.5 million people and the destruction of an ancient cultural and historical heritage."
"In my view, it is our moral obligation as Jews, and certainly as the state of the Jewish people, to adopt the decision we approved today," he added.
The proposal is now slated to be brought before the Knesset plenum for a vote.
“Recognizing the genocide perpetrated against the Armenian people in the final years of the Ottoman Empire is both a moral and historical duty,” Sa’ar said in a Thursday post to X/Twitter, announcing the resolution. “We must also firmly condemn any denial, minimization, or distortion of the historical truth.”
The Foreign Ministry added in its own statement that despite being extensively documented, the genocide has been subjected to an "institutionalized campaign of denial and minimization," spearheaded primarily by Turkey.
Some 32 UN members formally recognize Armenian Genocide
Turkey denies that the massacres, imprisonment, and forced deportation of Armenians amounted to genocide, and Israel long avoided recognizing it as such due to diplomatic sensitivities.
As of 2026, 32 UN member states, including the United States, Canada, Russia, and Germany, have formally recognized the genocide.
The Holy See and the European Parliament have also officially recognized the genocide.