Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he “recognizes” the World War I-era massacres of Armenians, Assyrians and Pontic Greeks by the Ottoman Empire as genocides, speaking on the Patrick Bet-David podcast. Multiple outlets noted it was the first time an Israeli leader has made such a statement publicly.
Netanyahu also suggested the Knesset had already acknowledged the genocides, though Israel has not formally recognized them and no binding Knesset resolution has been passed, according to recent reporting.
The remarks come amid strained Israel-Turkey relations and an ongoing Gaza war in which Palestinian deaths have surpassed 62,800, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry figures cited by major outlets. Health officials also report hundreds of malnutrition-related deaths. Israel disputes aspects of the ministry’s counts.
In November 2024, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant over alleged crimes in Gaza; Israel rejects the court’s jurisdiction.
Turkey denies that the mass killings constitute genocide, arguing losses were suffered by many groups during the empire’s collapse.
