Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday issued a curt statement after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced he recognized the so-called Armenian “genocide.”
“Netanyahu, on trial for his role in genocide against the people of Palestine, is trying to cover up the crimes of himself and his government. We reject this statement contradicting historic and legal facts,” the ministry said.
Interviewed on Tuesday by podcaster Patrick Bet-David, Netanyahu said the Knesset passed a resolution to recognize Armenian “genocide” and he himself recognized it as the first Israeli prime minister to do so. Several Israeli lawmakers have proposed recognition in 2018 and 2021, although they failed to garner a majority to pass a bill for formal recognition of the so-called genocide.
“Netanyahu’s statements on the 1915 incidents are an attempt to exploit bitter incidents of the past with political motives,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Türkiye is a major opponent of the Netanyahu administration’s war crimes targeting Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, and in turn, incurred the wrath of Tel Aviv. Israeli officials invoked the so-called genocide and what they called “persecution of Kurds” in Türkiye in ad hominem responses to Türkiye’s repeated criticism of Israel’s atrocities in Gaza.
Ankara has joined several members of the international community seeking to hold the Netanyahu administration accountable for crimes committed against the Palestinians. Last year, Ankara presented five folders of evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC), where countries appealed to issue an arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Two folders exclusively contain evidence of genocide against women and children.
The Armenian “genocide” is a thorny issue for Türkiye and has long been an outstanding matter in resolving disputes with Armenia. Türkiye acknowledges mass deaths of Armenians during World War I but insists that they do not constitute genocide, rejecting a systemic annihilation. The issue has been denied until 2014 when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, then prime minister, became the highest-ranking Turkish official to acknowledge mass deaths of Armenians and extended condolences to the country’s small Armenian community.
Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission of historians from Türkiye and Armenia, along with international experts, to research the issue and resolve the dispute.
