Topline
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday apologized to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s claims earlier this week that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was partially Jewish and that Jews themselves are some of the worst anti-Semites, according to the Israeli government, comments that sparked an outcry from Israeli leaders who accused Lavrov of blaming Jews for the Holocaust.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech.
Key Facts
During a phone call with the Russian leader, Bennett accepted Putin’s apology and thanked him for “clarifying” Russia’s attitude toward the Jewish people and the Holocaust, the Israeli government said in a statement.
A readout of the meeting from the Kremlin does not mention an apology from Putin, but says Russia recognized the significance of Isreeli Independence Day, which the country celebrated on Wednesday and Thursday, and noted that 40% of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust were citizens of the USSR.
The phone call comes after several Israeli politicians, including Bennett and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, slammed Lavrov after he told an Italian TV show Sunday that some of the “worst anti-Semites are Jews” in an attempt to justify Russia’s claims it is trying to de-Nazify Ukraine, a country with a Jewish president.
In a response, the Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday accused Lapid of supporting the “neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv.”
Crucial Quote
“This is an unforgivable and scandalous comment, a terrible historical error and we expect an apology. Hitler was not of Jewish origin and the Jews did not murder themselves in the Holocaust. The lowest form of racism against Jews is blaming the Jews themselves for antisemitism,” Lapid said in response to Lavrov’s remarks.
Key Background
When asked during the Italian TV show Zona Bianca on Sunday how Russia can allege its war in Ukraine is aimed at de-Nazifying the country when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish, Lavrov claimed that fact does not “negate the Nazi elements in Ukraine” and claimed Hitler had “Jewish blood.” The comments sparked swift backlash from Israel, including from Bennett, who called the foreign minister’s remarks “lies” designed to blame Jews and “free the oppressors of the Jews from their responsibility.” In response to the backlash, Russia’s Foreign Ministry doubled down on Lavrov’s remarks and took aim at Lapid in particular, claiming his comments were “anti-historical,” while reiterating Lavrov’s argument Ukraine was being run by “neo-Nazis.” Russia since the start of its invasion of Ukraine has claimed it’s aiming to liberate the country from neo-Nazis, although the country has a democratically elected leader, Zelensky, who lost family in the Holocaust. Israel’s condemnation of Russia this week marked one of its harshest criticisms of the country since the war began. Israel has tried to maintain a neutral stance on the invasion, as it relies on Russia for security coordination in Syria.
Tangent
A conspiracy has long circulated that Hitler’s grandfather was Jewish, but the allegation was “never backed up by any evidence,” according to Reuters, and has never been given any credibility.
Further Reading
Putin apologizes to Bennett for Lavrov’s comments (Jerusalem Post)
Israel Slams Russia’s Lavrov For ‘Unforgivable’ Claim Hitler Was Partially Jewish (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/05/05/putin-apologized-for-russian-foreign-ministers-hitler-remarks-israel-says/