Turkey attacks Israel's recognition of 'Armenian genocide', considers it an attempt to cover up Gaza crimes

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its strong condemnation of Israel's decision to recognize the massacres suffered by Armenians during World War I as 'genocide'. The ministry affirmed in an official statement that this Israeli move has clear political objectives and is inseparable from the current diplomatic confrontation between the two countries.\n\nAnkara considered that Tel Aviv's resort to this sensitive historical issue is primarily aimed at covering up the crimes committed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. The statement indicated that the Israeli government, which is facing international accusations of committing genocide before the International Court of Justice, is striving to divert the international community's attention from its current practices.\n\nThis diplomatic escalation comes amid an unprecedented deterioration in bilateral relations between Turkey and Israel since the outbreak of the war on Gaza in October 2023. Turkish positions have been sharp regarding Israeli military operations, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan continuing his scathing criticisms of what he describes as 'terrorism' practiced against Palestinian civilians.\n\nIn its statement, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that Ankara will continue to work firmly to confront what it described as Israeli expansionist policies that destabilize the entire region. Sources believe that the timing of Israel's recognition of the Armenian issue represents a political pressure card in response to Turkey's continuous support for the Palestinian cause in international forums.\n\nRegarding the historical roots of the crisis, Armenians demand comprehensive international recognition of what they describe as a 'genocide' that led to the killing of about 1.5 million people in the late Ottoman era. In contrast, the Turkish state completely rejects this description, asserting that that period witnessed tragic events in which victims from both Turks and Armenians fell as a result of civil war and famine conditions.\n\nTurkey affirms that addressing the issue of the 1915 events should be done through academic historical research, away from the political exploitation practiced by some countries. Sources emphasize that Israel's attempts to exploit this issue will not deter Ankara from its principled stances regarding the rights of the Palestinian people and the necessity of stopping the war in the Gaza Strip.\n\n"The Israeli government is trying to exploit the issue of the 1915 events to divert attention from its current policies in the Gaza Strip.