Israel’s Cabinet unanimously approved a proposal to officially label the violence against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide, an Associated Press report said on June 28, 2026.

The move still needs approval by the Knesset (Israel’s parliament). Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who brought the decision to the Cabinet, said the Armenian Genocide remains subject to denial and minimization and called formal recognition a “moral and historical duty,” saying it is “never too late to do the right thing.”

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed around 1915. Turkey denies the deaths constituted genocide, arguing that the toll has been exaggerated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest. The issue has been heavily politicized for decades for Israel, including because Turkey has pressured other countries not to use the genocide label.

The report said Israel did not previously broach formal recognition for fear of angering Turkey, but relations between the two have soured over the past two decades. The decision was also described as reflecting the broader deterioration of ties, amid ongoing regional conflict including Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon and its tensions with Iran.

Sa’ar noted that several countries—including the United States—have classified the 1915 massacres as genocide. The report said there was no immediate reaction from Turkey.