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“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote.
By United with Israel Staff
Israel’s government unanimously approved a resolution Sunday recognizing the Armenian Genocide, marking a historic shift in Israeli policy after decades of avoiding formal recognition.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who introduced the resolution, welcomed the decision and called it a long-overdue moral obligation.
“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” Sa’ar wrote on X. “I thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for his support, and the government ministers for their unanimous approval of the resolution I initiated for Israel’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide.”
“Thus, Israel joins 32 countries that have fulfilled a moral duty by recognizing the historical truth, and rejecting attempts to deny it,” he added.
It’s never too late to do the right thing.
I thank @IsraeliPM Netanyahu for his support, and the government ministers for their unanimous approval of the resolution I initiated for Israel’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
Thus, Israel joins 32 countries that have… pic.twitter.com/SHZ5v58U6G
— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 28, 2026
On Friday, Sa’ar announced he would bring the proposal before the Cabinet, calling recognition of “the genocide perpetrated against the Armenian people in the final years of the Ottoman Empire” both “a moral and historical duty” and urging the rejection of “any denial, minimization, or distortion of the historical truth.”
The decision ends Israel’s longstanding policy of withholding formal recognition, a position largely shaped by diplomatic and strategic considerations involving Turkey.
The move comes amid one of the lowest points in Israel-Turkey relations. In recent weeks, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has intensified his attacks on Israel, accusing it of destabilizing the Middle East, comparing its actions to Nazi Germany, and warning that Israeli military operations in Syria and Lebanon could eventually threaten Turkey.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by calling Erdogan “an antisemitic dictator” who supports Hamas and oppresses his own people.
Against that backdrop, Israel’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide is likely to further strain relations with Ankara, which has long rejected the characterization of the mass killings of Armenians during the final years of the Ottoman Empire as genocide.
The resolution will now be brought before the Knesset for a vote, completing the legislative process for Israel’s official recognition.
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