When confronted in a podcast interview with Armenian Assyrian American host Patrick Bet-David, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked whether he would recognize the mass killings of Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks in 1915–1917 as genocide, a question Israel's leaders have consistently sought to dodge. His answer was startlingly brief: "I just did. Here you go." At first glance, this seemed like a historic moment. Yet the recognition was shallow, symbolic, and misleading.

First, it was a surprising and awkward exchange, because everyone expected to hear a clear and factual formulation of what exactly he was recognizing, as is customary when heads of state or parliaments issue such recognition, where the facts and terminology are explicitly spelled out.

When confronted

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