The Latest: Putin praises Israel for commemorating WWII
Columbia Basin Herald | UPDATED 5 years AGO
JERUSALEM (AP) — The latest on the gathering in Jerusalem of dozens of world leaders for the World Holocaust Forum, which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp (all times local):
11:55 a.m.
Russia’s president has praised Israel’s efforts to commemorate World War II and has called for an end to anti-Semitism.
Vladimir Putin made the remarks in a meeting on Thursday with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
Putin is among dozens of world leaders visiting Jerusalem to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp. He will also attend a dedication ceremony for a monument honoring the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad.
The unresolved remnants of World War II’s politics have permeated the solemn assembly over the differing historical narratives of various players. Nationalist governments in Russia and Poland have sought to use their own interpretation of the past for contemporary political gain.
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11:30 a.m.
Russia’s president has told the mother of an Israeli tourist jailed in Russia that “everything will be alright.”
But Vladimir Putin on Thursday stopped short of a hoped-for pardon for Naama Issachar, teh Israeli backpacker who has been held for months in Russia. She has been accused of carrying a few grams of hashish.
Issachar’s mother, Yaffa, attended a meeting with Putin and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Putin made the remarks in a statement after the meeting, with Yaffa and Netanyahu by his side.
Putin is in Israel on a brief visit where he will attend a dedication ceremony of a monument honoring the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. He will also attend an event marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.
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11:10 a.m.
Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial has questioned the offer by the Ukrainian president to give up his delegation’s seats to include more Holocaust survivors at a major gathering of world leaders in Jerusalem.
In a statement on Thursday, Yad Vashem called Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s gesture “odd,” saying it explained to him that survivors who expressed interest in attending the event were invited and that “it is impossible to trouble survivors in the current conditions.” It said it was “a shame that he took such a step.”
Dozens of world leaders are attending the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating modern-day anti-Semitism.
Event organizers have come under criticism for not sufficiently including Holocaust survivors and instead focusing on the panoply of visiting dignitaries. In response, Zelenskiy tweeted that his delegation was giving up its seats to allow more survivors to attend.
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10:50 a.m.
Israel’s president is meeting with Britain's Prince Charles ahead of a gathering in Jerusalem marking 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.
Charles is among dozens of presidents, heads of state and dignitaries who have descended upon the city to attend the largest-ever gathering focused on commemorating the Holocaust and combating modern-day anti-Semitism.
President Reuven Rivlin thanked Charles for attending Thursday's gathering.
The three-hour-long event at Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial looks to project a united front in commemorating the genocide of European Jewry amid a global spike in anti-Jewish violence in the continent and around the world.
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10:35 a.m.
Israel’s prime minister is meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of a gathering in Jerusalem marking 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.
Ahead of their meeting on Thursday, Benjamin Netanyahu praised the ties between Israel and Russia, which have grown closer since Russia began its involvement in the war in neighboring Syria.
During Putin’s visit, Netanyahu will dedicate a monument honoring the the nearly 900-day Nazi siege of Leningrad. The city, now known as St. Petersburg, is Putin’s hometown.
Putin also plans to meet with the mother of an Israeli tourist who was jailed in Russia for carrying a few grams of hashish. Her mother told reporters earlier Thursday she was optimistic that her daughter, Naama, would be pardoned.