Russian President Vladimir Putin apologized to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Thursday for comments made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that Jews are some of the worst anti-Semites in the world.
The Russian President is giving a speech.
Bennett accepted Putin's apology and thanked him for Russia's attitude toward the Jewish people and the Holocaust, the Israeli government said in a statement.
40% of the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust were citizens of the USSR, and Russia recognized the significance of Isreeli Independence Day, which the country celebrated on Wednesday and Thursday, according to a readout from the Kremlin.
The phone call comes after several Israeli politicians, including Bennett and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, slammed Lavrov after he told an Italian TV show that some of the worst anti-Semites are Jews.
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Lapid of supporting the neo-Nazi regime.
This is a terrible historical error and we expect an apology. The Jews did not murder themselves in the Holocaust. The lowest form of racism against Jews is blaming the Jews themselves.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during the Italian TV show Zona Bianca on Sunday that the war in Ukraine is not aimed at de-Nazifying the country because the Ukrainian President is Jewish. Israel's condemnation of Russia this week was one of the most severe criticisms of the country since the war began. Israel has tried to maintain a neutral stance on the invasion as it relies on Russia for security coordination in Syria.
The allegation that Hitler's grandfather was Jewish has never been given any credibility.
The Jerusalem Post reported that Putin apologized to Bennett.
Israel Slams Russia for claiming that Hitler was partially Jewish.
Moscow accuses Israel of supporting neo-Nazis in Ukraine.
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