The Israeli government unanimously supported the proposal of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to recognize the Armenian genocide. This was reported by UNN citing AFP.

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The government’s decision still needs to be ratified by the Knesset. If the parliament supports it, Israel will join more than 20 countries that have officially recognized the Armenian genocide, including the United States, France, and Germany.

As AFP notes, this step comes amid a sharp deterioration in relations between Israel and Turkey after the war in the Gaza Strip. Ankara traditionally denies the Armenian genocide and reacts sharply to its international recognition.

The Armenian genocide involved mass killings, deportations, and forced marches carried out by the Ottoman Empire in 1915–1917. Historians estimate that about 1.5 million Armenians died at that time.