Russia’s president in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has apologized for his foreign minister’s remark. That Nazi Leader Adolf Hitler had “Jewish blood”. The Israeli PM’s office said in an a statement released Thursday.
Whereas, Russia has not mentioned of any such apology on the matter.
Mr Lavrov was talking with an Italian news channel on Sunday. Especially, after Holocaust Remembrance Day which is one of the most solemn occasions in the Israeli calendar. Sergei Lavrov made the comments to justify Russia’s portrayal of Ukraine as “Nazi”. Despite the fact that President Zelenskyy is Jewish and the first Jewish president of Ukraine.
When asked how Russia can claim that it is fighting to “de-Nazify” Ukraine. When President Volodymyr Zelensky is himself Jewish, Mr Lavrov said. :I could be wrong, but Hitler also had Jewish blood. That Zelensky is Jewish means absolutely nothing. Wise Jewish people say that the most ardent anti-Semites are usually Jews.”
These comments have ignited outrage in major parts of Israel.
Israel had originally demanded an apology. With Mr Bennett saying shortly after that. “Such lies are meant to blame the Jews themselves. For the most terrible crimes in history and thus free the oppressors of the Jews from their responsibility”.
Later on Thursday, Mr Bennett’s office said that he had accepted Mr Putin’s apology. And “thanked him for clarifying his attitude towards the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust”.
Russia said they discussed the Holocaust, but did not once mention that President Putin apologized for his government representative’s misconduct.
Prime Minister of Israel’s office had later released an official statement confirming. That they accepted Putin’s apology on the remarks made and clarified his attitude seemed through his ministers statement about Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust.