Lis, Jonathan (January 14, 2024). Headline in Haaretz (Hebrew): Israel Does Not Recognize the Armenian Genocide, but Drew on it Again as a Tool to Do Battle Diplomatically with Turkey: (sub headline) Foreign Minister Spoke Officially More Firmly Against Erdogan When He Mentioned the Genocide that the Turks Executed, but a Formal Process Towards Recognition (of the Armenian Genocide) Does Not Seem Likely.  Haaretz Hebrew.

The article, by Jonathan Lis, states that Israel assigned responsibility for the genocide of the Armenians to Turkey.  It was an unusual official step on the part of Israel since its governments have been very careful in the past about avoiding attributing responsibility to Turkey for the genocide.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz was protesting the assembly of incriminating materials against Israel by Erdogan which he intended to deliver to the International Court of Justice in the Hague which is considering South Africa’s demand to identify Israel as committing genocide in Gaza.  Katz said: “The President of Turkey, the country that committed the genocide of Armenians and thought the world would keep its mouth shut, delivered materials to the court today in the Hague.  We have not forgotten the genocide of the Armenians or the butchery of the Kurdish people.”

Earlier attempts to advance Israel’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide failed.  In 2018 the head of the Meretz Party, Tamar Zandberg, proposed that the Knesset deal with the subject, but the foreign minister demanded cancellation of the proposal.  Two years earlier the Education Committee of the Knesset conducted a public hearing on the Armenian Genocide.  MK Jacob Marji, of the Shas Party, who is today the Minister of Welfare, said that it is the “moral responsibility” of Israel, and the chairman of the Knesset at the time, Yuli Edelstein, announced his support.