Israel Cabinet Approves Designating 1915 Armenian Deaths as Genocide

Israel's Cabinet voted unanimously Sunday to classify the mass deaths of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide. The decision still requires a vote in the Knesset. The move comes as relations between Israel and Turkey have deteriorated. Turkey has long opposed formal recognition of the deaths as genocide and maintains that the toll resulted from civil war and unrest.

Background on the Deaths Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed around 1915. Scholars widely describe the killings as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey disputes the genocide label and says casualty figures have been inflated.

Saar said the decision addresses an "institutionalized campaign of denial and minimization" by the Turkish government. He added that Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have previously described the violence as genocide. Saar called the step a "moral and historical duty" and noted that 32 countries, including the United States, Syria and Lebanon, have already made the same designation.

It is not yet known when the measure will reach the Knesset for a vote. Turkey has not issued an immediate response.