ANKARA / JERUSALEM — Following yesterday’s historic Israeli government decision to recognize the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915, which also targeted the Syriac (Aramean-Assyrian-Chaldean) and Pontic Greek peoples, the Turkish Foreign Ministry quickly issued a counter-statement denying the genocide and levying accusations against Israel and its government.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry asserted that “the Israeli government, which is systematically oppressing the Palestinian people before the eyes of the entire world and is currently being tried before the International Court of Justice on charges of committing genocide against the residents of Gaza, is seeking to cover up its own crimes through this political decision regarding the events of 1915.” It further stated that “this malicious attempt, which disregards legal and historical facts, exposes the predicament of Netanyahu and his associates, who have had arrest warrants issued against them in the context of the International Criminal Court’s investigation into crimes committed against Palestinians.”

The ministry emphasized that it would continue to work “resolutely to put an end to Israel’s expansionist and destabilizing policies in the region, and ensure that the Netanyahu government is held accountable under the law for crimes committed against civilians, particularly the Palestinian people.”

It is never too late to do the right thing

The Israeli government yesterday announced “a historic decision” that “The Israeli government has unanimously approved Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s proposal to recognize the Armenian Genocide,” noting that the government’s decision requires ratification by the Knesset to take effect.

“The Armenian Genocide remains to this day the subject of an institutional campaign of denial, including misleading historical revisionism, led primarily by the Turkish government,” Sa’ar said.

“For Israel, as a Jewish state, I believe the time has come to officially adopt this stance. It is never too late to do the right thing. This is both a moral and historical duty,” he added, noting that “this is not an act of retaliation due to open hostility, or the terrible rhetoric, or the hostile measures taken by Turkey under Erdogan’s leadership.”

He also asserted that “the fact that Turkey promotes false narratives against Israel does not grant it immunity from historical truths,” a reference to the Armenian Genocide.

Erdoğan versus Netanyahu

The exchange of accusations between the two governments was initially triggered by statements from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who said at the conclusion of the 33rd consultation and evaluation meeting of his Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP) that he would hold accountable and pursue those responsible for violence in Gaza, reiterating his characterization of the war in Gaza as “genocide” against Palestinians.

Netanyahu responded to Erdoğan’s threats on the same day, stating: “Not a day goes by without Erdoğan calling for the destruction of Israel. We take these words seriously, because if there is one lesson we have learned from the history of our people, it is that when someone declares their intention to destroy you, we must take their words seriously. We take these statements seriously, and we will inform our American friends about them. We will not ignore them.”