Erdogan rejects Israeli move to recognise Armenian genocide Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has dismissed an Israeli proposal to recognise the mass killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide, turning the accusation back on Israel over its killing of Palestinians in Gaza. Erdogan was responding to a measure approved on Sunday by Israel's cabinet. The proposal still requires parliamentary approval and comes as ties between Israel and Türkiye continue to deteriorate.