Sergei Lavrov speaks of 'anti-Semitic Jews' in Ukraine and provokes outrage in Israel

Protesters outside the Russian Embassy in Tel Aviv, March 5, 2022. AP - Ariel Schalit

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs justified the undertaking of “denazification” in Ukraine before an Italian television channel on Sunday May 1.

His remarks, aimed at the Jews of Ukraine, provoked a quasi-diplomatic incident.

Advertisement

Read more

With our correspondent in Jerusalem,

Anger, but above all amazement.

Forced to justify the Russian military intervention, Sergei Lavrov notably affirmed that even if the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish, that does not detract from

.

And the Russian minister added:

Naturally, these remarks by the Russian Foreign Minister were poorly received in Israel.

The reaction of Yair Lapid, his Israeli counterpart, was not long in coming.

“ 

 ,” he announced.

Reactions of the same ilk at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, where there is talk of delusional, dangerous and condemnable remarks.

Foreign Minister Lavrov's remarks are both an unforgivable and outrageous statement as well as a terrible historical error.

Jews did not murder themselves in the Holocaust.

The lowest level of racism against Jews is to accuse Jews themselves of anti-Semitism.

— יאיר לפיד - Yair Lapid🟠 (@yairlapid) May 2, 2022

Since the start of the conflict with Ukraine, 

so as not to attack Russia head-on.

This incident could mark a change in Israeli policy.

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

• Ukraine

• Israel

• Russia