Israel Says Putin Apologizes For Foreign Minister’s Comments

“The Prime Minister accepted President Putin’s apology for Foreign Minister Lavrov’s comments and thanked the Russian President for clarifying the attitude towards the Jewish people,” the office of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Thursday. /5 said in a statement after the phone call between the leaders of the two countries.

The Kremlin has not yet commented on this information.

In an interview with Italian media published on May 1, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “made an argument about the kind of Nazism they might have had if he himself were Jew”.

In a transcript of the interview posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website, Lavrov added: “I could be wrong, but Hitler is also of Jewish blood” and “wise Jews say anti-Semitism.” The most enthusiastic Jews are usually the Jews.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called the comment “unforgivable, one-sided and a terrible historical error”. Prime Minister Bennett denounced the comments as “lies”, “accusing the Jews themselves of the most terrible crimes in history” against themselves. Israel summoned the Russian ambassador to “clarify” the comments.

The Kremlin’s summary of the phone call between President Putin and Prime Minister Bennett, which took place as Israel celebrates the 74th anniversary of the Jewish state, does not mention Putin’s apology. According to the Kremlin, the two leaders discussed the importance of the upcoming Victory Day celebrations for the people of both countries.

“The Russian president reiterated that of the 6 million Jews who were tortured in the ghettos and death camps and killed by the Nazis during the punitive operations, 40% were Soviet citizens,” the document said. Kremlin press office reported. “In turn, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett highlighted the decisive contribution of the Soviet Red Army to the victory over Nazism.”

Israel has tried to maintain its neutrality since Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine in late February, when Prime Minister Bennett stressed Israel’s close ties with both Moscow and Kiev. In particular, Mr. Bennett sought to maintain cooperation with Russia on Israeli attacks in Syria, where Russian forces are located.

So far, Israel has refused Ukraine’s request for military assistance, instead providing bulletproof vests and helmets for medical staff, as well as a field hospital. Mr. Bennett has attempted to mediate and has been one of the few world leaders to meet Putin since Russia began the campaign, when he arrived in Moscow in early March.

Huyen Le (According to AFP, CNN, RT)