Israel on Monday criticized Russia for its foreign minister’s “unforgivable” remarks about Nazism and anti-Semitism – including allegations that Adolf Hitler was a Jew. Israel, which summoned the Russian ambassador in response, said the comments blamed Jews for their Holocaust murder. It was a sharp drop in ties between the two countries at a time when Israel sought to maintain a neutral position between Russia and Ukraine and to remain in Russia’s position for its security needs in the Middle East. Asked in an interview with an Italian news channel about Russian allegations that he invaded Ukraine to “desensitize” the country, Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine could still have Nazi elements even if some personalities, including its president, , were Jews. So when they say “How can Nazism exist if we are Jews?” In my opinion, Hitler was also of Jewish descent, so it means absolutely nothing. “For a long time we heard from the Jewish people that the biggest anti-Semites were Jews,” he said, speaking on the station in Russian, translated into Italian. In some of the harshest statements since the start of the war in Ukraine, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called Lavrov’s statement an “unforgivable and scandalous and horrific historical mistake.” “Jews did not commit suicide in the Holocaust,” said Lapid, the son of a Holocaust survivor. “The lowest level of racism against Jews is to accuse the Jews themselves of anti-Semitism.” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who was more moderate in his criticism of the Russian invasion, also condemned Lavrov’s comments. “The use of the Jewish people’s Holocaust as a means to gain political seats must stop immediately,” he said. “His remarks are not true and their content is unacceptable.” The Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel called the comments “irrational, delusional, dangerous and condemnable.” “Lavrov is propagating the reversal of the Holocaust – turning the victims into criminals based on promoting a completely unfounded claim that Hitler was of Jewish descent,” she said in a statement. “It is equally serious to call Ukrainians Nazis in general and President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy in particular. “This, among other things, is a complete distortion of history and an insult to the victims of Nazism.” In Germany, government spokesman Steffen Hebstreit said the Russian government’s “propaganda” efforts were not worth commenting on, calling them “absurd”. Nazism has emerged prominently in Russia’s war targets and narrative as it fights in Ukraine. In an effort to legitimize the war on Russian citizens, President Vladimir Putin has portrayed the battle as a struggle against the Nazis in Ukraine, despite the country having a democratically elected government and a Jewish president whose relatives were killed in the Holocaust. Ukraine also condemned Lavrov’s statements. “In trying to rewrite history, Moscow is simply looking for arguments to justify the mass killings of Ukrainians,” Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mikhail Podoliak wrote on Twitter. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said Lavrov’s statements exposed the “deep-rooted anti-Semitism of the Russian elite.” World War II, in which the Soviet Union lost some 27 million people and helped defeat Nazi Germany, is a key element of Russia’s national identity. The repeated approach of the historical narrative that places Russia as a savior against evil forces has helped the Kremlin to rally the Russians around the war. Israel was created as a refuge for Jews in the aftermath of the Holocaust. More than 70 years later, the Holocaust is central to his national ethic and has been at the heart of global efforts to commemorate the Holocaust and combat anti-Semitism. Israel is home to a shrinking population of 165,000 Holocaust survivors, most in their 80s and 90s, and last week the country celebrated its annual Holocaust Remembrance Day. But these goals sometimes conflict with its other national interests. Russia has a military presence in neighboring Syria, and Israel, which frequently strikes at enemy targets in the country, relies on Russia for security coordination to prevent its forces from colliding with each other. This forced Israel to exercise lightness in its criticism of the war in Ukraine. While it has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine and expressed its support for its people, Israel is measured in its criticism of Russia. It has not imposed international sanctions on Russia, nor has it provided military assistance to Ukraine. This paved the way for Bennett to be able to try to mediate between the sides, an effort that seems to have come to a halt as Israel faces its own internal turmoil. The Holocaust and the constant manipulation of its history during the conflict have angered Israel in the past. In a speech to Israeli lawmakers in March, Zelensky compared Russia’s invasion of his country to the actions of Nazi Germany, accusing Putin of seeking a “final solution” against Ukraine. The comparisons provoked an angry outcry from Yad Vashem, who said Zelenskyy was denigrating the Holocaust.
Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield in Rome and Frank Jordans in Berlin contributed to this report.
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