By James Marlow

The Jews could have been behind interference in the 2016 US presidential election, President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with American broadcaster NBC News.

The Russian leader pointed out that he “could not care less” about indictments issued by US Special Counsel Robert Mueller who accused Russian nationals and companies of election interference. Putin stated that “they do not represent the interests of the Russian state” and are unrelated to the Kremlin.

“Maybe they’re not even Russians,” said Putin. “Maybe they’re Ukrainians, Tatars, Jews, just with Russian citizenship, even that needs to be checked.”

Zionist Union (Labour) Member of Knesset Nachman Shai said in response, “This is the worst form of antisemitism.” “[Putin’s] comments demonstrate that nothing has changed in the perception of Jews as those responsible for the world’s evil.” He went on to say that a strong response is required from the Israeli government.

His colleague MK Ksenia Svetlova who was born in Moscow being making Aliyah in 1991 at age 14 went even further. “Maybe the Jews interfered in the American elections, maybe the Jews control the world, maybe Jews slaughtered the Jews in Poland. For all those allegations, there is one origin – Jew-hatred,” she said.

President Donald Trump has said that there was interference by Russia and probably by other countries in the 2016 election, “and the United States would counteract any attempt at meddling in the November 2018 midterm elections.”