By Ramina Jajoo-Frindrich, MD, FACR, FACP December 1, 2025
Introduction
On August 26, 2025, Assyrian-American podcaster Patrick Bet-David asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu why he has not recognized the Assyrian, Armenian, and Greek Genocide of 1915 perpetrated by the Ottoman Turkey. This exchange occurred during a 40-minute interview that covered several topics; at about the 38-minute mark, Bet-David raised the question regarding the genocide. The recording has since garnered over 545,000 views and more than 21,000 comments.
Patrick Bet-David, born in Iran to an Armenian mother and an Assyrian father, is a businessman, author, and media personality. He is best known as the host of the PBD Podcast and Valuetainment, which focus on current events, business, politics, and popular culture.
Bet-David’s question generated significant interest within the Assyrian community. However, given the large volume of comments on the full interview, it was unclear what the specific reaction was to this segment — particularly how Assyrians themselves perceived the exchange and its significance.
As a grass roots organization with experience in polling our subscribers who are overwhelmingly Assyrian, we felt the need to give a voice to our community. Therefore, our Arizona Chapter conducted a brief survey.
Method
To assess community sentiment, we designed a simple, accessible online survey aimed at members of the Assyrian community. In addition to basic demographic questions, participants were asked the following:
- On a scale of 1–5 (1 = least significant, 5 = most significant), how would you rate the significance of Patrick Bet-David’s question in shedding light on the Assyrian, Armenian, and Greek Genocide of 1915?
- On a scale of 1–5 (1 = least satisfying, 5 = most satisfying), how satisfied were you with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s response?
- On a scale of 1–5 (1 = least important, 5 = most important), how important is it to you for Israel to recognize the Assyrian, Armenian, and Greek Genocide of 1915 by Ottoman Turkey?
- Were you able to locate the resolution referenced by Prime Minister Netanyahu in his answer? (Yes/No). If yes, participants were asked to email a copy to resolution@seyfocenteraz.com.
- Please share any additional comments or feedback on this topic.
The survey was open from September 5 through October 1, 2025, and was distributed through Seyfo Center’s mass email list and social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter).
All questions were mandatory. Participants were informed that their responses would be published anonymously. They were encouraged to provide honest and respectful feedback. They were additionally informed that any discourteous or inflammatory remarks would not be published.
Results
We received 47 responses. All participants answered all questions. One participant did not provide their country of residence.
1. Significance of Patrick Bet-David’s Question
Responses to the significance of Patrick Bet-David’s question were sharply divided — 37% rated it as “1 – Least Significant,” while 30.4% saw it as “5 – Most Significant.” Grouping options 1(least significant) and 2 (insignificant) together increases the percentage to 41.3% while combining options 4 (significant) and 5 (most significant) increases the percentage to 45.6%.
2. Satisfaction with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Response
When asked about Prime Minister Netanyahu’s response, over 54% rated their satisfaction as “1 – Least Satisfying.” Combining options 1 (least satisfied) and 2 (unsatisfied) increases the percentage to 63%.
3. Importance of Israel’s Recognition
According to the data, an overwhelming 60.9% of respondents rated the importance of Israel’s recognition of the Assyrian Genocide as “5 – Most Important.” Combining options 4 (important) and 5 (most important) increases this number to 73.9%.
4. Were people able to locate the resolution that Prime Minister Netanyahu is referring to in his answer?
5. Global Reach of Respondents
Written comments provided by respondents
All participants were required to provide a comment. Three simply responded as non-applicable (N/A) to the comments section. Three comments were discourteous, so they were excluded from this analysis. The remaining comments are reproduced verbatim below. They are grouped under three categories.
Positive Comments
- I believe there is merit in Patrick bringing attention to this issue, and I am grateful for his efforts—he may well be the first podcaster to do so. That said, I was not satisfied with Mr. Netanyahu’s response, as it does not constitute an official recognition. I remain hopeful that the Knesset and/or Mr. Netanyahu will take this matter under serious consideration and move toward passing a motion or resolution that would constitute formal recognition.
- To the best of my knowledge, no such resolution exists to date. However, Dr. Yaacov Maoz might be a good source to ask. Nevertheless, I do believe that Israel’s acknowledgement of the Assyrian Genocide would be a significant milestone, simply because they have never acknowledged any genocide besides their own, as far as I know. By this very fact, it would attract significant world attention and curiosity, most especially if it acknowledges the Assyrian Genocide separate from the Armenian Genocide.
- I think any leader of a country recognizing Seyfo is a step in the right direction.
- I think the only positive thing about this is the attention to the question, otherwise it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t result in a concrete step forward.
- I only see this as another step in the growing Assyrian Jewish relationship.
- It was a great interview!
- It was clever of Patrick Bet David to grab the opportunity and use it to get one of the world leaders to recognize the genocide publicly.
Negative Comments
- As an Assyrian I don’t need recognition of the genocide of our people from the person behind the current genocide of Palestinians, including Palestinian Christians and churches being bombed and destroyed. This interview was shameful and does nothing for genocide awareness and recognition.
- It is the height of hypocrisy for the perpetrator of a genocide like Netanyahu to claim any authority to recognize another genocide. Assyrians can do better than accepting genocide recognition from a genocidaire. Courting Netanyahu’s recognition is also a slap in the face to our Assyrian siblings in Palestine.
- It was a half hearted reply to say the least. He couldn’t even say “yes, I acknowledge the Armenian, Assyrian Greek genocide done by the Ottoman Empire which is modern day Turkey” all he could muster was “I just did”. Not good enough. Even then, of all the world leaders that could recognize Seyfo, Netanyahu is the least significant because of what he’s done in Palestine. This man is leading an ethnic cleansing/genocide of the Palestinian people. As an Assyrian, I heavily emphasize and sympathize with the Palestinian people because they are essentially experiencing what we experienced over 100 years ago with Seyfo. It doesn’t matter that Palestinians are majority Muslim, no one deserves what they are experiencing right now. This is quite literally the modern day equivalent to Adolf Hitler acknowledging that the USA ethnically cleansed/genocided the Native Americans. I’ll take it a step further and say that Netanyahu at this point, is the modern day Hitler. Shame on Patrick Bet David for giving that monster a platform to begin with. I have plenty to say about him but that’s for another time.
- The least expected and satisfied response of Patrick to Netanyahu would be ‘I consider’.
- It’s disappointing that PBD posed this question to somebody who clearly isn’t interested in recognizing genocides.
- I feel Netanyahu’s rushed statement is a gimmick
- I believe Israel has had ample opportunity to acknowledge the genocide and had refused based on its past statements that only they have had a genocide occur against them and other issues are tragic but not genocide . I also believe he was being disingenuous about his actual statement only to deflect his criminal charges.
- It was an ill-timed question to ask of a Prime Minister currently wanted for arrest for perpetrating war crimes. It trivialises the Genocide of our people for the purpose of gaining support for the State of Israel
- BB Netanyahu, did said it “VERBALLY” “I JUST DID”. That is un acceptable!!!. He should have said He will join the other 150 countries to recognize the genocide of Assyria,Armenian, Greek ,and will sign it, and should have said when. Are we going to wait another 100 years???.
- Israel supplied weapons to Azerbaijan in the killing of not just Armenians but a couple dozen Assyrians. Moreover, Netanyahu’s response was very dismissive, short and half-hearted. Armenians were not impressed by Netanyahu’s response and neither should we.
- Netanyahu is a war criminal currently being tried in the Hague for genocide. Nobody should care about what he says on any topic, and especially not genocide. Israel is a racist apartheid state, increasingly an international pariah, soon no one will care about their “resolutions”
- In my opinion as an Assyrian, this is a monumental waste of time. We do not need recognition from someone who is currently committing genocide. Not only is it morally abhorrent, but I think it’s also highly disrespectful to our ancestors and martyrs who suffered through genocide, massacres, displacement, etc.
- I think the timing is absolutely catastrophic. Currently, Israel and Netanyahu are the most controverse subject in the world which leads me to the following: Israel is hated by the societies of the “western world” and supported by their governments, BUT our goal is to get Turkey to recognize the genocide and start paying reperations, give lands back and so on. Turkey HATES Israel and is pro-palestinian thus him (Netanhayu) recognising it steers Turkey and Erdogan further from ever recognising the genocide. We would not reach our goal. Additionally, Israel supports the kurdish fight for Kurdistan, which is in itself anti-assyrian, so are we now supporting our enemy’s ally or rooting for their recognition? I think we would have been better off without the recognition of Netanyahu since it might impact the long-term result of Turkey’s recognition and support to the assyrian people of other countries such as Iraq and Syria tremendously. What good comes from him recognising it anyways? Will he stop supporting a Kurdistan on Assyrian land now? Will he treat Assyrians/Syriacs in Israel better, especially our churches there? I don’t believe anything good will come from it.
- I think the entire situation is extremely disappointing. As Assyrians, our families have been victims of genocide perpetrated by violent aggressors and to pose this question to Netanyahu seems to be a slap in the face to the suffering of our ancestors. For our community to take this “acknowledgement”, if you could even call it that, and proclaim Israel as staunch allies of the my community (Assyrian people) is extremely embarrassing. Regardless, an official recognition of the Assyrian, Armenian, and Greek genocide should hold no weight and should not be considered a step forward in any way, shape, or form. All this does is further legitimise the oppressive and genocidal state of Israel; the very type of aggressors that once perpetrated crimes against our people.
- I don’t think the Prime Minister’s intentions were genuine and he was just trying to impress Patrick just to get his own Israeli agenda out. Had this man actually cared about the Assyrian people he would go out of his way to properly recognize it. We also as a nation do not need a war criminal who is committing a genocide of their own to go ahead and make remarks about our genocide and how it is affected our people today. It’s really embarrassing to see someone like Patrick go out of his way to encourage and give someone like this a platform. The way the Prime Minister spoke was basically like here take this and deal with it as you please there was no genuine remark or understanding of how this genocide affected our people. Granted he is committing one against the Palestinian people
- Israel Doesn’t Officially Recognize the Armenian Genocide – but Uses It to Taunt Turkey’s Erdogan
- We shouldn’t be looking to perpetrators of genocide for genocide recognition
- Prime Minister Netanyahu’s comment is simply a joke, his dismissive tone towards the question and refusal to discuss it further or indicators. He treated the question as if it was a nuisance rather than with an openness towards discussion. Furthermore he lied about Knesset Recognition.
- Why do we need a genocidal dictator to validate the 1915 Armenian, Assyrian, and Greek genocide?
- From the news articles I have seen, this Knesset resolution does not exist, and even if it did, it really doesn’t make a difference. Israel recognizing our genocide really does nothing for us. I’ve become sadly quite cynical about it but it’s really the bare minimum and still so few will even do it. International law has abandoned us so many times that recognition in such a way, having to essentially beg for it, feels patronizing. I think more important is what the Seyfo Center does to expand understanding and information. From the ground up maybe that will help us achieve more protection for our indigenous lands and culture.
- Israeli Society know (and recognize) the Armenian Genocide. There’s a slight exception for israelis who descend from Jews from Azerbaijan and other post-soviet countries. That’s party because Avigdor Lieberman’s party caters to these “russian jews” and when he was minister of defense, established the relationship Israel has with Azerbaijan which we know now. Armenian Genocide education is also common in some schools – ive had mixed reports on this. Some israelis say they studied it at school. Otherwise primary academics on the Armenian Genocide are based in Israel. Stefan Irig in Haifa is one example. The Hebrew University has contributed tremendously to the study of the Armenian Genocide. All that being said, as with everywhere else in the world, Sayfo is often overshadowed.
- It is important that Netanyahu’s recognition of the genocide could be read in official Israeli government documents.
- Netanyahu did not recognize the Genocide. He simply stated, as a separate statement, “I just did” (if I remember correctly). He did not say it clear and complete, I recognize the Assyrian, Armenian and Greek genocide. Language is a tricky thing.
- Netanyahu’s “yes, I did now” cannot be considered recognition. In 2010 or in 2012, around 50 organizations and scholars, at the initiative of the Seyfo Center, formally requested that the Israeli Knesset recognize the Assyrian genocide. The effort led nowhere due to realpolitik considerations. Still, it is encouraging that PBD has raised the issue.
- A resolution by the Israeli government recognizing the genocide committed by the Ottoman doesn’t exist. Patrick should have asked Netanyahu to expand on his recognition and follow up with documentation
- “Nothing similar to the Holocaust occurred. What the Armenians went through is a tragedy, but not genocide.” Shimon Peres (Israeli Foreign Minister, 2001). Considering the Armenian Genocide occurred concurrently with the Assyrian Genocide, this indicates a failure or refusal of the Israeli government to recognize the systematic eradication of the Assyrians, Greeks, and Armenians. Israel, of all nations, should harbor inherent sensitivity to instances of genocide and a devotion to recognize and stand in solidarity with fellow victims of such persecution. To date, no resolution has been officially passed by the Knesset in recognition of the genocide. While prior resolutions have been introduced to recognize the Armenian genocide, there is no clear record of the Knesset contemplating the recognition of the Assyrian Genocide. It is disappointing to see Israel’s memory failing so easily, when not even a century ago, their people were also stateless and the constant subject of persecution. I wish the best for all people, including all the wonderful people of Israel; however, they should grant recognition where it is due–just as they rightfully demand the same from the world.
- Prime Minister was very vague and did not provide an adequate response to the question posed by Patrick Bet David. I felt somewhat insulted that Prime Minister brushed it of as if to say, ok I acknowledge it , but let’s move on. Really insulting!
- as a genocide survivel i see that we have no man i. power to lead our nation for the next century nor a way of electing someone that is not as we say a traitor to kurds and arabs.
Neutral Comments
- Full parliamentary recognition with officially published records permeating all of Israel’s internal & foreign affairs will be the only evidence that I can personally accept.
- Thank you so much for offering this platform. You guys do amazing work.
- It seems the Knesset has not passed a resolution on the matter, but the education committee recognized it and urged the government to do so as well in 2016. Knesset Education Committee recognizes Armenian genocide | The Times of Israel
- Recognition by Israel, a nation founded in the shadow of the Holocaust, would carry immense moral weight and strengthen the call for global justice and the prevention of future atrocities. We therefore expect this acknowledgment to come from the Israeli Government itself. Such an act would not only honor the victims but also send a powerful message of solidarity to persecuted peoples everywhere.
Discussion
This analysis addresses the findings of an initial survey, the first of its nature, which sought to quantify the Assyrian community’s opinion regarding Patrick Bet-David’s recent interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The central issue driving the survey focused on the Prime Minister’s response to the question of why Israel has not officially recognized the 1915 genocide perpetrated by Ottoman Turkey against the Assyrian, Armenian, and Greek communities. The poll’s methodology involved surveying Assyrians who are subscribers or followers of the Seyfo Center, providing a focused sample of engaged individuals.
The Assyrian community at large appeared nearly equally divided regarding the overall significance of the specific question Bet-David posed to Prime Minister Netanyahu. This suggests nuanced perspectives on the diplomatic importance versus the symbolic value of the inquiry itself.
However, this division over the question’s significance stood in clear contrast to the strong consensus regarding the Prime Minister’s actual reply. A significant majority of Assyrians (63%) expressed clear dissatisfaction with Mr. Netanyahu’s comments. This level of discontent may be attributable to two related claims made during the interview: first, Netanyahu’s assertion that the Knesset had already recognized the genocide, a claim that is inaccurate; and second, his assertion that his comment, “I just did,” constituted official recognition. The qualitative comments from the participants clearly reflected this sentiment of dissatisfaction.
Furthermore, the data underscores the significant importance of official recognition to the respondents. Nearly three-quarters (73.9%) of pollsters agreed that formal recognition of the 1915 genocide by the State of Israel is an important issue to them personally. This statistic is reinforced by the accompanying commentary and is consistent with a persecuted community’s desire for this affirmation by a country that itself was founded by the survivors of Holocaust.
Geographically, the majority of the participants originated from the United States.This is to be expected, as the Assyrian people, who are dispersed over 40 countries, form their largest diaspora community of approximately 600,000 in the United States.
An administrative challenge was noted when two individuals who claimed to possess a link to the supposed Knesset recognition failed to provide the requested document, which may point toward a misinterpretation of the survey question-possibly due to language barrier.
Additionally, self-selection bias is common in surveys (as opposed to large-scale polling), leading to the overrepresentation of individuals holding strong, polarized views. This characteristic was particularly evident in the study’s detailed written feedback, where, for instance, a significant number of participants expressed strong negative opinions of the Israeli leaders’ actions in Gaza as opposed to staying focused on the specific question posed by Patrick Bet-David on the Assyrian genocide.
Although the study’s small sample size and brief duration limit its generalizability, the findings still offer a clear indication of the Assyrian community’s consistent belief in the importance of official recognition of the 1915 genocide by the State of Israel, now home to an estimated 50,000+ Jewish Assyrians, as noted by scholar and author of Jerusalem and Nineveh, Dr. Yaacov Maoz. The data presented here indicate a clear justification for pursuing additional studies with a larger sample of Assyrian respondents.
For any information about our work or if you are interested in joining our research team email us at: resolution@seyfocenteraz.com.
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