Turkey has condemned Israel for recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the systematic killing of some 1.5 million Armenian Christians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I, ahead of hosting next week’s NATO summit.
The dispute comes as Turkey faces renewed scrutiny over its human rights record and an ongoing crackdown on opposition politicians and independent media.
Israel’s government recently approved a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide, a move that still requires parliamentary approval before becoming official policy but has already triggered sharp condemnation from Ankara.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan accused Israel of using what he called “slander” to divert attention from the war in Gaza while insisting Turkey’s history was “free from genocide, massacres, oppression, and colonialism,” despite broad international recognition of the Ottoman-era mass killings of Armenians between 1915 and 1923 as genocide.
Israel’s move has also drawn attention because it comes as Western governments seek to avoid friction with Turkey ahead of the NATO gathering, where security cooperation is expected to dominate the agenda.
Turkey Denies Genocide
Diplomats say alliance members are unlikely to publicly challenge Ankara over the jailing of opposition figures, including Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, or the broader crackdown on Turkey’s main opposition.
Human rights groups say lengthy pretrial detention has become an increasingly common feature of Turkey’s justice system.
Among the best-known cases is philanthropist Osman Kavala, who has spent nearly nine years behind bars despite repeated rulings by the European Court of Human Rights that there was insufficient evidence to justify his continued detention.
Turkish authorities reject those rulings.
İmamoğlu, President Erdoğan’s leading political rival, has also remained jailed since March on corruption-related charges that he denies, with supporters describing the case as politically motivated.
Long Detentions Raise Concerns
Rights groups have also voiced alarm after dozens of journalists from independent media outlets were reportedly denied accreditation to cover the NATO summit, while authorities detained more than 200 people in security operations ahead of the gathering.
Turkey’s close ally Azerbaijan—not a NATO member but a key energy partner for several alliance countries—has likewise refrained from publicly criticizing Ankara’s human rights record.
Like Turkey, Azerbaijan condemned Israel’s decision, saying it stood with Ankara under the principle of “one nation, two states.”
By contrast, Armenia has responded cautiously, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declining to comment directly and suggesting the issue risked becoming politically “weaponized.”
Western governments have increasingly viewed Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest military, as strategically indispensable since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, critics say the increasingly transactional relationship often places security above human rights concerns.
Security Eclipses Rights
Ankara hopes the NATO summit will underscore alliance unity and expand defense-industry cooperation.
Mark Rutte has said tens of billions of dollars in defense deals are expected to be announced.
Yet for many rights advocates, the summit is expected to underscore a growing dilemma within the alliance: how to reconcile Turkey’s strategic military importance with NATO’s stated commitment to democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law.
