Foreign Ministry Director General Eden Bar Tal reprimanded Belarusian Ambassador to Israel Yuri Yaroshvich today (Wednesday) over Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's shocking statements. Lukashenko accused the Jewish lobby of dragging the United States into conflict with Iran and blocking a Russian victory in Ukraine. He also claimed Israel cannot speak about the Holocaust while it has killed so many people in Gaza, especially women and children.

The Director General told the ambassador that Lukashenko's outrageous antisemitic comments are vile and unacceptable. He stressed that Israel firmly rejects any comparison between the horrors of the Holocaust, which also took place on Belarusian soil, and Israel's justified campaign against jihadist terror. Bar also strongly condemned the malicious antisemitic conspiracies about a Jewish lobby and made clear that such despicable rhetoric must vanish from the world.

Yesterday Lukashenko sharply criticized Israel during an interview with the Saudi television network Al Arabiya. He argued that the destruction in Gaza has led some to question Holocaust memory, claiming many people now ask how one can speak of the Holocaust when Israelis have killed so many, especially women and children, and erased everything from the face of the earth.

Lukashenko mocked plans to rebuild and develop Gaza, saying some want to build a resort on people's bones. He warned Israel to be more cautious because continued fighting could lead to unexpected results. He added that Israel has lost its standing in the international arena and now depends entirely on the United States for its security.

The Belarusian president also highlighted what he called Israel's total dependence on Washington. Referring to reported tensions between U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu, he claimed that when Trump rebuked Netanyahu, Israel had to change course. Without American missile supplies, he said, Israel's air defenses could not handle a major Iranian threat.

Lukashenko further accused Israel and the United States of actually strengthening the Iranian regime by uniting a previously divided society around Tehran's leadership. He also alleged that Israel dragged the United States into confrontation with Iran through the influence of the Jewish lobby on American politics.

The Belarusian leader linked Israel to the war in Ukraine as well, claiming that efforts to reach a Russia-Ukraine agreement in 2022 were thwarted in part by Israeli elements and the Jewish lobby. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin withdrew forces from the Kyiv area early in the war after receiving assurances that Ukraine was ready to move toward a peace deal.