Turkish President Erdoğan Condemns Israel's Recognition of Armenian Genocide, Accuses Israel of Gaza Atrocities

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responded sharply to Israel's official recognition of the Armenian genocide, a decision made by the Israeli government on Sunday. Speaking after a cabinet meeting in Ankara on Tuesday, Erdoğan dismissed the recognition as baseless slander against Turkey, accusing Israel of having "blood-stained hands" over the deaths of 75,000 innocent Gazans, mostly women and children. He emphasized that Turkish history is free of oppression, massacres, colonialism, or genocide, highlighting Turkey's tradition of compassion and moral nobility in offering refuge to persecuted peoples, including those fleeing the Inquisition and Nazi persecution.

Erdoğan's remarks came amid heightened tensions following Israel's unanimous cabinet approval of Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar's proposal to recognize the Armenian genocide. Sa'ar stated, "It is never too late to do the right thing." The resolution condemned denial, minimization, or distortion of the historical truth regarding the mass killings of Armenians during the late Ottoman Empire. This historic recognition is expected to further strain Israel-Turkey relations.

Interestingly, Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan offered a muted response, saying Armenia does not see a need to react to Israel's decision and does not intend to politicize the genocide issue. This contrasts with the strong reactions from Ankara and Baku. Turkey accused Israel of using the recognition to divert attention from the Gaza conflict, while Azerbaijan urged Israel to retract the decision, claiming it distorts historical facts.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks during World War I, widely regarded as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey disputes these figures, asserting the deaths resulted from civil war and rebellion rather than systematic genocide. Over the years, Turkey has actively worked to prevent countries from recognizing the events as genocide and has imposed sanctions on those that do.

The Israeli government's recognition marks a significant diplomatic development with potential repercussions for regional relations, especially with Turkey and Azerbaijan, amid ongoing conflicts in Gaza and the broader Middle East.