Why Israel, Russia remain chums
Russia and Israel will continue to enjoy strong relations despite Russia’s UN Security Council vote for Resolution 2334 condemning the Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory.
On the last day of 2016, the final night of Hanukkah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Russian President Vladimir Putin. In their second phone conversation of the week, the two leaders discussed developments in the Middle East with a special focus on the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and continued security coordination in Syria.
The conversation was critical in light of Netanyahu’s previous statement that Israel would review its relations with the nations that supported United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, passed on Dec. 23. Russia was one of those 14 nations. The resolution says, among other things, that Israel should immediately and completely cease all settlement activities. It calls upon states to differentiate between their dealings with Israel and with these territories. Although the resolution is rather harsh on Israel, it was a recommendation, not a sanction.
The document was, rather predictably, heavily criticized by both the Israeli government and many analysts. Their major concern was that the resolution was unbalanced and did not distinguish between the Western Wall and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
As retired Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, the head of leading Israeli think tank the Institute for National Security Studies, put it, the resolution praises Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ efforts to produce international pressure on Israel and thus makes him less willing to participate in direct talks with the state.
