Armenians in Jerusalem and the dilemma of Israel’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide

Armenian Weekly ^ | October 2025 | Gabby Kevorkian

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The Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back to 301 AD, when Armenia adopted Christianity as its national religion, and Armenian monks and pilgrims subsequently settled there. Today, Jerusalem is home to a small Armenian community comprised of descendants of Armenians whose ancestors came to the Holy Land after 301 AD, and descendants of Armenians who survived the Ottoman genocide and immigrated to Palestine in large numbers between 1915 and 1923, before the establishment of the Jewish state.

On Tuesday, August 26, 2025, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Patrick Bet-David — an American media personality — on his podcast, that he recognizes the genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians during World War I. However, his response did not make it clear whether he was being serious or sarcastic, which is not befitting the Prime Minister, whose ancestors were subjected to the Holocaust at the hands of Nazi Germany during World War II.

When asked by Patrick Bet-David why Israel did not recognize the Armenian Genocide, Netanyahu said, “I think we did. I think the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) passed a resolution to that effect.” When asked why no Israeli prime minister has ever recognised the Armenian Genocide, Netanyahu replied: “I just did. Here you go.”

Netanyahu’s declaration that the Knesset has recognized the Armenian Genocide, while the Knesset has not passed any such official legislation, coupled with his sarcastic tone, is an insult to the victims of the Armenian Genocide and the Jewish Holocaust.

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TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: armenia; armeniangenocide; armenians; erdogan; genocide; holocaust; jerusalem; netanyahu; ottomanempire; turkey; worldwar1

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I only posted an excerpt, the full article provides more context.