Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett chided Russian Foreign Minister Sergie Lavrov Monday, calling his comparison of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine to the war against Nazi Germany ‘untrue’. Following more strident condemnations by other Israeli leaders, Bennett did not call Lavrov’s comments to an Italian news network Sunday racist or antisemitic, choosing instead a more restrained response. "I view with utmost severity the Russian Foreign Minister's statement," Bennett said Monday afternoon. “His words are untrue and their intentions are wrong. The goal of such lies is to accuse the Jews themselves of the most awful crimes in history, which were perpetrated against them, and thereby absolve Israel's enemies of responsibility.” “As I have already said, no war in our time is like the Holocaust or is comparable to the Holocaust. The use of the Holocaust of the Jewish people as a political tool must cease immediately." Earlier on Monday , the Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that it had summoned Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov for “clarification” in response to Lavrov’s comments on Sunday. On Sunday, Lavrov compared Ukraine's Jewish president to Adolf Hitler, and suggested that Hitler had Jewish ancestry. "The fact that Zelensky is Jewish does not deny the Nazi elements in Ukraine. I believe that Hitler also had Jewish blood," Lavrov said . "Zelensky can promote peace by stopping giving illegal orders to his Nazi soldiers." Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid excoriated Lavrov in a statement Monday morning, calling his comments Sunday racist and antisemitic. “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 antisemitism.” Israel's Diaspora Affairs Minister, Dr. Nachman Shai (Labor), also castigated Lavrov over his comments, saying in a statement Monday: "No, Mr. Lavrov, Hitler did not have ‘Jewish Blood’, and repeating this abhorrent falsehood puts blame for the worst antisemitic crime in history on Jews. Blaming Jews for crimes against Jews is intrinsically antisemitic. You must retract these comments immediately."
