Jews were the biggest enemy of the Jews

Tel Aviv: Israel on Monday condemned the Russian foreign minister’s “unpardonable” remarks about Nazism and anti-Semitism that claimed Adolf Hitler was Jewish. Israel summoned the Russian ambassador over the remarks and said the remarks alleged that Jews were involved in their own genocide. This development is a sign of deteriorating relations between the two countries at a time when Israel has tried to keep itself neutral in the Russo-Ukraine war.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with an Italian news channel that there may still be some Nazis in Ukraine, even if some people, including the country’s president (Volodymyr Zelensky), are Jewish. Lavrov said, ‘How can there be Nazism when they say that we are Jews? In my opinion, Hitler was also of Jewish origin, so it makes no sense. Many times we have heard from the Jewish people that the biggest enemy of the Jews was the Jews.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid called Lavrov’s statement “unforgivable and reprehensible and a terrible historical error”. Lapid, the son of a man who witnessed Hitler’s massacre, said, “The Jews themselves did not kill themselves in the genocide. The comment to hold Jews responsible for discrimination against Jews is the lowest level of racism comment.” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also condemned Lavrov’s comments, saying “his (Lavrov) words are untrue and intentions are wrong.”

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba also condemned Lavrov’s statement. He said the recent remarks by Adolf Hitler and his Russian counterpart about Jews reflect the hatred of the Russian elite towards Jews.