26 October 2007
The Belarusian President, Alexander Lukashenko, will reportedly send a representative to Israel next week to try to clear the air following angry reactions to an anti-Semitic tirade he made last week. Whilst addressing regional leaders Lukashenka said that Jewish residents had turned Babruysk, a city of 226,000 residents in the Mahilyow region, into a “pigsty”, adding that “If you were in Babruysk, you saw in what condition the city was. Entering it was a fearful experience! It was a sty! This was mainly a Jewish city. Well, you know how Jews treat the place where they’re living. Look at Israel, I’ve been there.”
Seeking to calm Israeli outrage, the Belarusian ambassador to Israel has said that Pavel Yakubovich, editor in chief of the largest Belarusian newspaper, will hold meetings with foreign ministry officials and the press. Yakubovich, who is Jewish, is considered close to the Belarusian leader. However some sources are reporting that Yakubovich’s trip was already planned before Lukashenko’s comments and that he is really travelling to Israel for medical treatment.
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