Russian foreign minister's remarks on Jews "unacceptable and inexcusable"
Caliber.Az interview with an Israeli MP

INTERVIEWS  05 May 2022 - 14:54

Caliber.Az presents a blitz interview with Vladimir Beliak, Knesset (Israeli parliament) MP for the Yesh Atid faction.

- First, I would like to know your opinion about the recent statement of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about Jews and Hitler. Was it, in your view, a slip of the tongue?

- I believe that this statement by Lavrov is unacceptable and inexcusable, and in fact, is a historical mistake. How can we accuse the Jewish people, a survivor of the Shoah, of the crimes of Nazism? It just doesn't make any sense to me. In this respect, the reaction of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid was timely and appropriate. It would have been right for Lavrov to apologize.

- And what was the reaction to Lavrov's statement in Israel?

- Unequivocal condemnation, incomprehension, and disappointment.

- Don't you think that this is a deliberate anti-Israeli campaign? After all, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has already said that Israeli "soldiers of fortune" are fighting alongside the Nazi formation Azov in the armed conflict in Ukraine.

- I really hope this is not true. Israel and Russia have long-term multifaceted ties, and we expect Russian officials to avoid anti-Israeli rhetoric. I don't think this is in our common interest.

- Should we assume that such a position by Moscow will influence Israel, which has been neutral in the Russian-Ukrainian war, in terms of providing military and technical assistance to Ukraine?

- This issue is the prerogative of the government, the prime minister, and the minister of defence. Our position has been and remains a balanced, responsible one, fully in keeping with the principles of human morality and international law.

- In Russia, any attempts to rehabilitate Nazism are perceived distressingly, especially on the eve of May 9, Victory Day. At the same time, a monument to the Nazi henchman Garegin Nzhdeh has been erected in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, Russia's closest ally. But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation does not react in any way. Does such behaviour of the ministry seem logical to you?

- Unfortunately, I am not familiar with this fact. In any case, from the point of view of Israel, any attempt to rehabilitate Nazism throughout the world is unacceptable.

Caliber.Az