Israel slams Russian foreign minister Lavrov's remark that Hitler had Jewish roots

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Israel on Monday slammed the comments made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that hinted that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had Jewish roots.

The Russian ambassador to Israel has been summoned by Israel's Foreign Minister Yair Lapid for "a tough talk".

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Lapid told the YNet news website, "It is an unforgivable, scandalous statement, a terrible historical mistake, and we expect an apology."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called its attack on Ukraine a ''special military operation'' to ''demilitarise'' and ''denazify'' its neighbour as Kyiv's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Calling Lavrov's remarks "an insult and a severe blow to the victims of the real Nazism," Dani Dayan, chairman of Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, said he was spreading "an antisemitic conspiracy theory with no basis in fact".

Lavrov told an Italian interpreter "When they say 'What sort of nazification is this if we are Jews', well I think that Hitler also had Jewish origins, so it means nothing."

"For a long time now we've been hearing the wise Jewish people say that the biggest anti-Semites are the Jews themselves," he added.

Foreign relations experts believe that the remarks can trigger a steep decline in the ties between the two countries at a time when Israel has sought to stake out a neutral position between Russia and Ukraine.

As Russia continues to attack Ukraine, nazism has featured prominently in its war aims with Putin trying to portray the battle as a struggle with Nazis in Ukraine.

Condemning Lavrov's remarks, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted “By trying to rewrite history, Moscow is simply looking for arguments to justify the mass murders of Ukrainians.”

The Soviet Union, which helped in defeating Nazi Germany, lost approximately 27 million people during World War II. It later became a linchpin of Russia's identity, with Moscow trying to portray itself as a savior against evil forces.

(With inputs from agencies)

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