Newsroom
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has, for the first time, recognized the mass killings of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians by the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century as genocide, a declaration laced with political irony given that Turkey has accused Israel of the same crime in Gaza.
In an interview with American businessman and podcaster Patrick Bet-David on Tuesday, Netanyahu was asked why Israel has never officially recognized the atrocities.
“I think we have. I think the Knesset passed a resolution to that effect,” Netanyahu said, though no such law exists. Pressed further, he quipped, “I just did. Here you go.”
Historians estimate more than a million Armenians, along with hundreds of thousands of Greeks and Assyrians, were killed by Ottoman forces during World War I. Turkey has long rejected the label of genocide, insisting the deaths occurred in the fog of war.
Netanyahu’s statement comes as Ankara accuses Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, a charge Israel vehemently denies. That clash of narratives could turn Netanyahu’s offhand acknowledgment into yet another flashpoint between the two countries.
And in a twist of historical irony, Netanyahu may have just managed what no Israeli leader before him has done: recognize Turkey’s darkest chapter while handing Ankara fresh ammunition for its own accusations.
