Israel officially recognized the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire of 1915–1916. The government approved the resolution on Sunday. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Jerusalem Post.
The decision was announced by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. According to him, the initiative was submitted by him earlier and received government support.
"This horrific genocide, which took place more than 100 years ago and about which there is no real dispute over historical facts, included the murder of 1.5 million people and the destruction of ancient cultural and historical heritage," Saar said after the vote.
He emphasized that recognizing the Armenian genocide is a moral and historical duty of the country.
The Armenian genocide refers to the mass killings and deportations of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire that occurred in 1915–1916 during World War I. According to various estimates, the victims of these events ranged from 600,000 to 1.5 million people.
Turkey acknowledges the facts of mass deaths of Armenians but rejects the term "genocide," claiming that victims were on both sides amid war and internal conflict.
To date, more than 30 UN member states have recognized the Armenian genocide, including Russia, the United States, Germany, and Canada. The European Parliament had previously adopted a corresponding resolution, and the Vatican also expressed recognition.