Anger at Israel after Russian foreign minister claims Hitler “also has Jewish blood”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov generated a wave of criticism after saying in an Italian television interview that Hitler was “also of Jewish blood”. The reference to Hitler came after he was asked how they could talk about “denazation” in Ukraine, if the country’s president himself was Jewish.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr “Zelensky makes this argument: how can Nazism be present (in Ukraine) if he himself is a Jew?” Lavrov said, as transcribed on his ministry’s website. And I added: “I may be wrong, but Hitler also has Jewish blood”.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid criticized Lavrov’s statement on Monday and Russian ambassador summoned to seek “clarifications”.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, Israel has tried to maintain a delicate balance between Kyiv and Moscow, but Lavrov’s words have sparked outrage.

“Minister Lavrov’s comments are outrageous, unforgivable and a horrible mistake in history … The lowest level of racism against Jews is to accuse them of anti-Semitism,” Lapid condemned in a brief statement, stating that the ambassador had been summoned. Russian to Israel for clarification “.

The president of Yad Vachem, the Israeli memorial to the Shoah, Dani Dayan, also condemned Lavrov’s statements, saying they were “baseless, misleading and dangerous comments that they deserve to be judged.

Lavrov made the remarks on the Italian television program Zona Bianca a few days after Holocaust Remembrance Day, one of the most solemn on the Israeli calendar.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba lamented that “Lavrov cannot hide the anti-Semitism deeply rooted in the Russian elites.” “These statements are offensive to President Zelensky, Ukraine, Israel and the Jews,” he added on Twitter.

Adviser to the Ukrainian presidency Mijailo Podoliak denounced the statements as “anti-Semitic” and said that “they are proof that Russia is successor to Nazi ideology “.

German government spokeswoman Steffen Hebestreit called the statement “absurd” and said that “The Russian propaganda spread by Lavrov is not worth commenting on.”

In his last March speech to members of the Israeli parliament, Zelensky called on Israel to “make a decision” in support of Ukraine against Russia and request arms supplies.

Israel provided protection equipment to Ukraine, but recently did not provide weapons to the countrysaid Israeli officials.

Photo: AFP