Netanyahu made the surprise statement on Tuesday in an interview with American businessman, author and podcaster Patrick Bet-David.
When asked why no Israeli prime minister has ever recognized the genocide, he said: “I just did. Here you go.”
The Turkish Foreign Ministry responded by accusing Netanyahu of trying to “exploit the tragedies in the past for political purposes.”
“Currently on trial for his role in the genocide committed against the Palestinian people, Netanyahu is seeking to cover up the crimes perpetrated by himself and his government,” it said in a statement. “We condemn and reject these remarks which are contrary to the historical and legal facts.”
Successive Israeli governments have opposed Armenian genocide recognition lest it antagonize Turkey, a former security partner of Israel. Turkish-Israeli relations have steadily deteriorated over the past decade. They hit a new low during Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza.
Not surprisingly, Armenia did not welcome Netanyahu’s remark. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said in March this year that his government will not strive to get more countries and international bodies to recognize the genocide. He questioned the wisdom of relevant resolutions already adopted by many foreign parliaments, saying that they undermine stability in the region.
Pashinian’s stance, which reflects his rapprochement with Ankara, was denounced by his political opponents as well as Armenian Diaspora groups that have long been at the forefront of the recognition campaign.
Aram Hamparian, the executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), reacted cautiously to “Netanyahu’s tack toward long withheld Israeli recognition of the Armenian Genocide.” He said it comes amid “serious and sustained violations of international law in Gaza, akin to Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Artsakh.” Hamparian called for a “sharp break with Isreal’s military alliance with Azerbaijan and public pressure on Turkey to abandon its denial and obstruction of justice for the Armenian Genocide.”
