Putin in Israel to Boost Power in Mideast

Arutz Sheva ^ | 25/6/12 | Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

[Eleutheria5]

Russian president Vladimir Putin lands at Ben Gurion Airport Monday for a visit to Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan in an effort to improve his image, blackened by support for Syria and Iran.

Russia has been engaged in a modern version of the diplomatic Cold War standoff between Washington and Moscow 60 years ago and has been an obstacle to moves by Western allies that would allow them to be the major influence on Iran’s nuclear development and Syrian President Bashar Assad’s violent struggle to keep himself and his regime alive at the expense of the lives of thousands of civilians who have been bombed to death and gunned down in the streets.

Russia has a huge vested interest in Iran and Syria through technological investments and military sales, similar to its stake in Libya, where the overthrow of Muammar Qaddafi cost it billions of dollars in military deals.

The Arab world increasingly fears Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its stated desire to rule an Islamic Middle East empire, and also has openly opposed Assad’s continuing refusal to surrender.

Moscow’s support of Assad has unmasked it as an opponent to democracy, and Putin’s visit – along with more than 300 aides and advisors – is aimed at raising his political profile.

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[Eleutheria5]

Enh. He could support the opposition, and still be an opponent of democracy.

[Forward the Light Brigade]

He has some trick up his sleeve. Maybe he trying to get that hotel back in Jerusalem. The ones built by the Czars a long time ago—and taken over by the British after WW I. He is a vacuum with Obama and is trying to fill it. He might be a better friend to Israel than USA these days. He’s a slippery one.

[SJackson]

Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

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[cunning_fish]

Jewish lobby is exremely high in Kremlin today, let alone a fact that a quarter of Israel’s population is Russian speaking (the most onservative part of Israel’s population) and even higher percent of Russian Jews in IDF.