In a strange shift, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was quoted as saying that Israel’s war on Gaza is identical to Moscow’s military operation against Ukraine.
The comments, attributed to Russia’s top diplomat, were cited by Russia Today in an interview on Thursday with RIA Novosti.
“The goals declared by Israel for its ongoing operation against Hamas militants in Gaza seem nearly identical to those put forward by Moscow in its campaign against the Ukrainian government,” RT quoted Lavrov as saying.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 21,320 Palestinians have been killed, and 55,603 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
Many international law experts have accused Israel of carrying out a genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip.
‘Denazification’?
But according to Lavrov, the Israeli and Russian goals are more or less the same, which include “demilitarization” and “denazification”.
It is unclear how Lavrov, who has historically defended the rights of Palestinians, and earlier in the day, spoke for the need for justice in Palestine, believes that Israel’s action in Gaza includes “denazification”.
Lavrov’s comments seem like a bizarre contradiction to statements made by top Russian politicians and officials.
These comments included a comparison made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 13 between the Israeli siege on Gaza and the Nazi siege on Leningrad during World War II.
Additionally, Russia’s own ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, has made similar comparisons in strongly worded statements against the Israeli war.
Yet, according to RT, Lavrov believes that “the fight against Nazism is what historically unites Russia and the Middle Eastern country (Israel).”
His words exactly, according to RT, were: “Therefore, we need to be very careful about our common history with Israel and, above all, the history of the fight against Nazism. This is the main thing that unites us historically.”
Creation of a Palestinian State is ‘Historically Inevitable’ – Russian FM Lavrov
Lapid Bad, Netanyahu Good
Lavrov went on to criticize former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid who condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “This was unfair,” Lavrov said, in reference to Lapid’s position.
The Russian foreign minister compared that to the position of right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has “not allowed himself to make any statements regarding Russia, despite international criticism and finding himself in ‘a difficult situation’.”
Lavrov reiterated his country’s position that only a ‘two-state formula’ will bring an end to the Middle East crisis, but without explaining how Moscow can play a part in turning it into a reality.
‘Greatly Offensive’
“Lavrov’s position, if the quotes attributed to him by RT are accurate, is bizarre and greatly offensive, to say the least,” Ramzy Baroud, a Palestinian political analyst, said.
“Bizarre because it is entirely inconsistent with Russian foreign policy since the start of the Israeli genocide on Gaza, and objectionable because it resembles some kind of a political nod for Israel to continue with its lethal war on Palestinian civilians without worrying about a strong Russian response,” he added.
Baroud also said that “Arab governments and Palestinian Resistance groups must demand clarification from Russia following these offensive statements and inquire if they represent an official change of policies regarding Israel and the Palestinian fight for freedom.”
Gaza is Leningrad: Putin Likens Israeli Behavior to Brutal Nazi Siege in WWII
(The Palestine Chronicle)
I’m pretty sure that Sergei Lavrov either never said those words or they are being taken out of context or simply misinterpreted.
I suspect there is mischief afoot to sow discord amongst Palestinian supporters.
I agree but cannot Dr. Ramzy Baroud contact the Embassy of Russia for clarification?
Regardless, Zionism is Nazism. Hamas, like Russia and the US coup in Ukraine, is determined to de-Zionist all Palestine, regardless of Mr. Lavrov’s (alleged) wishes.
….or it could be that Lavrov is simply positioning Russia to be able to play the role of the mediator. Time will tell.
Although the Americans have been flirting with him for a long time. A year ago, you even wrote an article in Izvestia about all sorts of stagings. What was the result? Was this also a staged Hamas attack on Israel? How should we perceive all this? Some even think that the destruction of the Gaza Strip is a special operation in order to dig a parallel Suez Canal from the Gulf of Eilat through the Negev desert. It’s three hundred kilometers there. With modern technology and money, it’s not difficult. What was that? What is the essence of this geopolitical process?
Lavrov: There are a lot of conspiracy theories now.
->
Just a few days ago, our television and social networks once again reported by a Western media outlet, Western journalists and researchers (I think Samuel Hersh also published this) that the entire Israeli leadership had been warned by intelligence a year before October 7 of this year about a large-scale terrorist attack being prepared.
I cannot assume (if this is true) that no preventive measures have been taken. Moreover, I know to what extent the Israeli army and its security forces are able and always ready to carry out preventive strikes.
This reminded me of another conspiracy theory, when the Twin Towers were attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001, followed by the outbreak of war in Afghanistan and the announcement of the “Greater Middle East” project.
There were other, less bloody conspiracy theories, such as the moon landing. So far, no one has been able to calm down completely. Although, it would seem that in all three cases such a number of people should have known about what was happening. This is still unclear. Strangely.
I don’t even want to admit that normal people can sacrifice hundreds of their fellow citizens in order to have some pretext, or to trample on a terrorist organisation that they hate and want to completely eradicate it, or to get some economic and logistical benefits.
You said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Hamas must be destroyed in its entirety and as a military force. It’s like demilitarization. He also said extremism must be eradicated in Gaza. It’s like denazification. ->
Moreover, it is not very clear to me why the previous Israeli government, when Yasser Lapid was Prime Minister (before that he was Foreign Minister and then became Prime Minister), reacted in such a way to the start of our special military operation. His reaction was surprising to me. Like, how dare Russia use force against the civilian population, annexed Ukrainian territories.
It wasn’t fair. We talked about it.
I don’t know how he analyses and describes the events now, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite numerous critical statements from around the world and the fact that he has found himself in a serious situation, has not allowed himself to make any statements about Russia. I had two telephone conversations with President of Russia Vladimir Putin. The Israelis, as well as the Egyptians, helped us evacuate our citizens who were taken hostage or simply wanted to leave the Gaza Strip.
We need to be very careful about our common history with Israel. And first of all, to the history of the fight against Nazism. This is the main thing that unites us historically. It’s the foundation of our genetic code, if you will.
The Holocaust and the extermination of the multinational Soviet people are things of the same order apart from numbers. 6 million people – the Holocaust and more than 20 million people – the peoples of the Soviet Union.
A year ago, the Israeli ambassador to Kiev remained silent at a news conference on Holocaust Remembrance Day, when asked what he thought about the fact that Ukraine glorifies Stepan Bandera, Roman Shukhevych and other Nazis, and uses and reveres these symbols. He was asked if this meant that Israel had changed its attitude. He said “no” and said that to the Israelis, they were still Nazis, unacceptable, and that would be forever. But, they say, Ukraine has a complicated history. I understand why Ukrainians treat these figures and political structures in such a way. Now that’s scary.
I really couldn’t believe my eyes when I read this. What’s going on Russia. You should explain yourself. Wonder what Peter Lavelle of Crosstalk have to say about this, or Oksana Boyko.?
Very strange
Labrov’s comments seem to take into account the Palestinian-Hamas aggression against innocent civilians in Southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023. Those Oct 7th acts of murder and hostage taking remind one of the acts of Ukrainian nationalist Azov Battalion members against the ethnic Russian towns in the Donbass.
I too was greatly shocked and disheartened by Lavrov’s comments in RT. The only conclusion I could come up with is that he was making these comments under duress. That maybe Israel was blackmailing Russia with a biological weapon or other type of existential threat to their population. It’s so unlike him. Nazism and Zionist are two sides of the SAME coin. The whole world is in danger unless the Zio savage rampage is stopped. The world must unite against these mad men like it did to defeat a similar toxic ideology based on racial supremacy,territorial expansion and ethnic cleansing back in the 1940’s.
I find it entirely delusional, dishonest, and insulting to expect of Lavrov and Putin, that have been responsible for some of the most gruesome massacres in the region, including upholding the Syrian Barbarian Bashar al Assad, any sincere solidarity with the Palestinian cause. It’s honestly bad character, because it can’t be bad analysis-
His words exactly, according to RT, were: “Therefore, we need to be very careful about our common history with Israel and, above all, the history of the fight against Nazism. This is the main thing that unites us historically.” Perhaps it recalls a historical fight against Nazism going back to WWII and was said to remind Israel of a fight to stop Nazism then, but does not literally apply to Israel’s current actions in Gaza. If that is the case, the statement needed to be more clarifying.
That’s exactly what it means. He literally called on Israelis cheapening the Holocaust by staying silent when Ukranians celebrated Nazis. This whole except is totally misrepresented and not even word for word correct. He was simply speaking for argument sake, if demilitarization is somehow a valid reason of Gaza invasion, how come that for Russia is crime against humanity. he was literally calling Israelis duplicitous hypocrites
This is completely taken out of context. If you read the full transcript, his point was to reveal Israeli hypocrisy. Basically if Israeli wanted to use demilitarization as a valid excuse for their actions in Gaza, then how the same excuse is not acceptable for Russia? If eradication of terrorism is also a valid excuse, then how not Denacification. He also reminded that Russia will never in any way tarnish the memory of Holocaust since so many Russian people died in the WW2 from Nazis. While Ukranians cheepen it by suggesting that it’s ok to stay silent on Ukranians celebrating of veritable Nazis who did participate in the Holocaust. i don’t understand how it ended up so misrepresented
I’ have seen Putin talking to some leaders from neighboring countries. I noticed how much Putin is really haunted by this holocaust stuff still and it seems he never asked who was really behind it apart from european leaders at that time. So this is a difficult matter for him I think. They really have been brainwashed it seems: Putin like Nethanyahoo and all the Jews… it is a most serious thing . the brainwash goes deep into unconciousness and can hardly be removed. Not with reason alone…
Ramzy Baroud is a political analyst but has no idea that Israel is applying kremlin’s “What Russia Should Do with Ukraine” blueprint on Gaza? They are literally copying the entire war except for the grossest stuffs russian army proudly shared online only to keep many people sleepless around the world.