Israel moves to formally recognize Armenian WWI deaths as a genocide

FILE - Armenians hold their national flag during a ceremony to commemorate the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, in Jerusalem, Israel, Friday, April 24, 2015. Oded Balilty/AP hide caption toggle caption Oded Balilty/AP TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel's Cabinet unanimously approved a proposal on Sunday to designate violence against Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as a genocide. The step, which still needs approval in Parliament, reflects deteriorating ties between Israel and Turkey. Turkey has fiercely lobbied to prevent countries from officially recognizing the mass deaths of Armenians around 1915 as a genocide, even as Armenians have pushed for it. Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks around the time of World War I, an event widely viewed by scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, saying the toll has been inflated and that those killed were victims of civil war and unrest. For years, Israel never officially broached the subject for fear of angering Turkey, but that relationship has soured over the past two decades, especially as the most recent wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran have dragged on. …