Israel is preparing to officially recognize Armenian Genocide

ArmInfo.A day after US President Donald Trump publicly praised Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and amid discussions of a possible deal to sell American F- 35 fighter jets to Turkey, official Israel is taking a step that is  unlikely to be welcomed in Ankara.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on the evening of Thursday, June 25, that he intends to submit a draft resolution for government approval at the next meeting on Israel's first official recognition of the Armenian Genocide,  according to the Israeli newspaper Vesty.

The text of the draft states that "out of moral and historical  obligation, Israel recognizes the genocide committed against the  Armenian people at the end of the Ottoman Empire." The document also  condemns the denial, downplaying, or distortion of the historical  truth about these events. The explanatory note notes that the  Armenian Genocide began in April 1915 with the arrests, deportations,  and murders of hundreds of Armenian intellectuals, public figures,  and leaders in Constantinople. After eliminating the community  leadership, the Ottoman authorities, the document states, began the  systematic extermination of the Armenian population. Men were  conscripted for forced labor and then killed. Women, children, and  the elderly were driven from their homes and sent on long death  marches toward the Syrian Desert.

During these deportations, people were subjected to mass murder,  rape, and deliberate starvation and thirst.  As a result, according  to the text of the proposal, approximately 1.5 million people  perished, and the millennia-old cultural and historical heritage of  Armenians in Anatolia was largely destroyed. The document also  emphasizes that, despite extensive and unambiguous historical  documentation, the Armenian Genocide remains the target of an  orchestrated campaign of denial and downplaying of its scale.   Specifically, this involves the manipulative rewriting of history  textbooks, primarily by Turkey.

The draft states that 32 countries have recognized the Armenian  Genocide in various forms to date.  Therefore, it proposes that the  Israeli government also officially recognize the genocide committed  against the Armenian people and condemn any attempts to obscure,  minimize, or deny the crimes committed.

The day before, Donald Trump stated that Turkish President Recep  Tayyip Erdogan was "one of the leading candidates" for joining Iran  in the war, since, according to the American president, he "is not a  big supporter of Israel."

Trump, who promised this month that there would be no conflict  between Israel and Turkey as long as he remains president, added that  he asked Erdogan not to interfere in the conflict-a request he claims  Erdogan complied with.

Ten years ago, the Knesset Education Committee announced its  recognition of the Armenian Genocide. In May 2018, amid escalating  tensions between Israel and Turkey, the Knesset plenum approved a  debate and vote on a similar issue. However, the Israeli government  has yet to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Two years ago, Defense Minister Israel Katz wrote on social media  that "Turkey committed the Armenian Holocaust," and Prime Minister  Benjamin Netanyahu announced last year that he recognizes the  Armenian Genocide.