Israel's Cabinet unanimously approved a proposal on Sunday to designate the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide, with the measure now requiring parliamentary approval. Historians estimate up to 1.5 million Armenians died around 1915, a characterization Turkey rejects as inflated and attributable to civil war rather than genocide. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar cited extensive historical documentation while criticizing Turkish denial efforts.