Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has officially recognized the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek genocides after Patrick Bet-David directly asked Netanyahu why Israel has not officially recognized these genocides carried out by the Ottoman Empire, on his Valuetainment podcast.
Netanyahu responded by saying that Israel, through the Knesset, had already recognized them — which is factually incorrect, as no such resolution has ever been passed — and then he personally affirmed recognition himself.
The full back-and-forth between Patrick Bet-David and Prime Minister Netanyahu runs as follows:
Patrick Bet-David: “You know the Holocaust has been recognized by 193 different countries, right? Everybody around the world and in some countries if you deny it you could do jail time many countries. You can do jail time a year or 5 years, but for anybody that doesn’t recognize Armenian, Assyrian Genocide if there’s any country that I would have expected to be on the list that recognized the Armenian and Assyrian and the Greek genocide. It would be Israel. Why haven’t you yet recognized the Armenian, Assyrian, and the Greek Genocide that the Turkish did to the to that community?”
Benjamin Netanyahu: “In fact, I think we have because I think the Knesset passed a resolution to that effect.”
Patrick Bet-David: “I don’t know if I want you though. I don’t know if it’s come from the Prime Minister of Israel.”
Benjamin Netanyahu: “Yeah, I just did.”
Patrick Bet-David: “Okay.”
Benjamin Netanyahu: “Period.”
Patrick Bet-David: “All right. Well, thank you for doing that. Thank you for doing that.”
Benjamin Netanyahu: “Thank you for asking.”
Patrick Bet-David: “I appreciate you. That’s important to me, and I’m sure a lot of Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks around the world appreciate you saying that.”
While Netanyahu’s on-camera words are significant, it is important to clarify the official stance of the State of Israel:
- Israel has not formally recognized the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek genocides. Successive governments, including Netanyahu’s, have historically blocked Knesset resolutions on this issue. Reports from Ynet News and The Times of Israel note that Netanyahu himself instructed ministers to pull recognition bills from the legislative agenda in past years to avoid diplomatic fallout with Turkey and Azerbaijan.
- Officials’ statements are not formal recognition. Israeli officials, including former Foreign Minister Israel Katz, have occasionally referred to the Armenian Genocide. However, such statements do not constitute formal state recognition. Only a resolution passed by the Knesset would amount to an official acknowledgment.
- Local commemorations don’t equal state recognition. Some Israeli municipalities, such as Jerusalem, Petah Tikva, and Haifa, have named public spaces in memory of Armenian Genocide victims. While these gestures are meaningful, they are not official acts of state recognition.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statement on Patrick Bet-David’s podcast marks the first time he has personally declared recognition of the Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek genocides on record. However, as of August 2025, Israel as a state still has not passed a formal Knesset resolution recognizing them.
