When Putin meets Netanyahu
By M K Bhadrakumar
The two-day state visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Israel next week will raise eyebrows. Plainly put, it comes a little too early in his presidency - he took over the office as recently as May 7 - but underscores the Russian leader's sense of priority regarding Russia-Israel relations.
Its timing comes at a juncture when the two countries are apparently far apart with regard to critical issues of regional security in the Middle East - Syria and Iran - and it seems improbable that the hiatus could be bridged easily anytime soon. Yet, Putin is returning to Israel for a second visit after a gap of seven years, and he is after all a transactional, results-oriented politician.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would know for sure that Putin can be trusted to bargain hard to get the best results for Russia in any given situation, but he could also be a valuable partner, especially if United States President Barack Obama gets re-elected for a second term in the White House.
The motivations on both sides - Moscow and Tel Aviv - are complex and although their priorities may vary, it stands to reason that Russia and Israel are also drawn together in a realization that a partnership between them could be beneficial and in their mutual interest by augmenting their leverage in more than one direction - and may even be a factor of regional stability in the Middle East.
What is often forgotten is that Putin always had a warm feeling toward Israel and is on record as saying as recently as the end of last year, "Israel is, in fact, a special state to us. It is practically Russian-speaking. Israel is one of the few foreign countries that can be called Russian-speaking. It's obvious that more than half of the population speaks Russian."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NF21Ak03.html
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