Israel is outraged by Sergei Lavrov's claim that Hitler had Jewish ancestors
Written byTimes Magazine
Israel's foreign minister has called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's remarks that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler "had Jewish blood" "unforgivable."
Russian FM Sergei Lavrov made the remarks to justify Russia's portrayal of Ukraine as "Nazi," even though the country's president is Jewish. Israel's foreign ministry summoned Russia's ambassador for "clarification" and demanded an apology.
Nazi Germany murdered six million Jews during World War II in the Holocaust.
Mr. Lavrov made the remarks in an interview with the Italian television show Zona Bianca on Sunday, just days after Israel commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day, one of the most solemn occasions on the Israeli calendar.
When asked how Russia can claim to be fighting to "de-Nazify" Ukraine when President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish, Lavrov responded, "So what if Zelensky is Jewish?"
"This fact does not disprove the presence of Nazi elements in Ukraine." "I believe Hitler had Jewish ancestors," he says, adding that "some of the worst anti-Semites are Jews."
Mr. Lavrov's statement enraged Israel's foreign minister, who accused him of anti-Semitism. Mr. Lavrov was also condemned by Dani Dayan, the director of Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial.
"Most of his remarks are absurd, delusory, dangerous, and deserving of any condemnation," he wrote on Twitter. "Lavrov deals with the Holocaust's reversal: turning victims into criminals, based on the promotion of a completely unfounded claim that Hitler was a Nazi."
However, he claims that the Israeli government has come under fire for not being tough enough with President Putin. Mr. Lavrov's remarks will put Israel's relations with Russia to the test. While they may be offensive to many, our correspondent adds that they reflect a standard narrative among Kremlin supporters.
For decades, unproven claims have circulated that Hitler's unidentified paternal grandfather was Jewish, fueled by an assertion made by Hitler's lawyer Hans Frank.
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