Israel summoned the Russian ambassador on Monday after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested that Adolf Hitler may have had Jewish roots, RT reported.
“Foreign Minister Lavrov’s remarks are both an unforgivable and outrageous statement as well as a terrible historical error,” Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid tweeted on Monday.
Lavrov on Italian TV: "The fact that Zelensky is Jewish does not deny the Nazi elements in Ukraine. I believe that Hitler also had Jewish blood"
later in the speech he added; "The worst anti-Semites are the Jews" pic.twitter.com/0B0BOBNHC1— Unbiased News (@unbiasednws) May 2, 2022
Lapid said that Israel expects an apology and that the Russian ambassador was being summoned “for a tough talk.”
Other Israeli officials expressed outrage over Lavrov’s comments as well, including Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who accused Russia’s top diplomat of using the Holocaust “as a political tool.” The Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem also denounced Lavrov’s words as false and dangerous. Moscow has not commented on the matter.
Foreign Minister Lavrov’s remarks are both an unforgivable and outrageous statement as well as a terrible historical error. Jews did not murder themselves in the Holocaust. The lowest level of racism against Jews is to accuse Jews themselves of antisemitism.
— יאיר לפיד – Yair Lapid🟠 (@yairlapid) May 2, 2022
Speaking to Italy’s Mediaset media company on Sunday, Lavrov confirmed that one of the objectives of Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine is the “denazification” of the country. A reporter mentioned that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish.
Lavrov replied:
“I could be wrong, but Hitler, too, had Jewish blood in him. This means absolutely nothing. Wise Jewish people say the most ardent anti-Semites are usually Jews. Every family has a black sheep, as we like to say.”
Earlier in the interview, the Russian minister pointed to Ukraine’s Azov Battalion, whose fighters include people with openly nationalist and Nazi views. He said captured fighters from Azov and other units display Nazi symbols on their uniforms and have swastika tattoos. They “openly read and promote ‘Mein Kampf,’” Lavrov added, referring to the book by Hitler.
The Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Israel’s ambassador last month over Lapid’s “anti-Russian” comments regarding Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
(RT, PC, Social Media)
There is nothing wrong with Sergei Lavrov’s comments. Zelensky has ties to the Nazi Azov Battalion to spread misinformation and hatred of Russia and wants attention on the world stage. If the Nazis took over Ukraine and other European nations, that would lead to Holocaust II.