Yves here. This is a welcome downgrade of the notion that the Israelis and Russians are besties, since Putin is unreasonably fond of the idea of Israel being Jewish territory, which is now a romantic myth past its sell-by date.
By John Helmer, Russia’s longest-serving foreign correspondent, and the only western journalist to direct his own independent bureau without national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and an adviser to heads of government in Greece, the United States and Asia. He is the first and only member of the US president (Jimmy Carter) to settle in Russia. Originally published on Dances with Bears
Once upon a time, in 2019, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia and Israel form “a true common family; I can say this without exaggeration. About 2 million Russian-speaking people live in Israel. We consider Israel a Russian-speaking country…Without exaggeration, I can proudly say that there has almost never been such a high level of relations between Russia or the first Israel, if we go back, if we go back to the years of the country” of Israel The positions of Russia and Israel, the people of our countries meet….
Putin exaggerated the number of Israelis from Russia. But even his estimate is dwarfed by the 3 million Americans of Russian or Russian-speaking descent. In fact, the estimated numbers of the Russian diaspora living outside Russia are largest, in order of magnitude, in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the US, Brazil and Germany, all ahead of Israel. Putin has never described the US, Germany, or Brazil as a “Russian-speaking country, a true common family”.
Putin has also spoken negatively about the national identity and loyalty of Israelis from Russia. At least, only one in four, about 400,000, held a Russian passport and claimed Russian citizenship. However, most of that number did not renew their passports as they expired in the last five years; these Israelis renounced Russian citizenship. In the 2018 Russian presidential election, only 120,000 Russian Israelis were eligible to vote. Of that number, only 12,000 voted.
Putin won about 8,640 of those Israeli votes. Putin’s share of the vote in Israel trailed that of many other foreign states including Finland, Canada, Italy, Germany and Greece – all NATO enemies.
In the Israeli military genocide in Gaza, Lebanon, and the West Bank of Palestine, 5,067 soldiers held dual Russian passports; more than twice that number were US citizens; over 6,000 were French. Under current Russian law, this would be a crime – but only if Russians in Israel volunteered or contracted to work in the Israeli army, not if they were conscripted under Israeli law. In contrast, Israeli Russians occupying Israeli companies that produce weapons supplied to Ukraine to fight against Russia do not violate Russian law.
Russian Jews who are members of the Chabad organization that supports the war against Russia, the massacre in Gaza, and the war against Iran are also not violating Russian law with their Chabad links and allegiances. They include Berel Lazar (front photo, left, with portrait of Chabad leader Menachem Schneerson), Russia’s de facto Chief Rabbi was elected to that position against candidates who have been credited with Russian oligarch money and Putin’s political support.
In short, Putin’s publicly stated rationale for supporting Russia’s “common family” in Israel is steep – mathematically, politically, ideologically. Putin’s support is yours.
During the massacre in Gaza, reports from the Russian Emergencies Ministry said it had delivered 827 tons of food aid to the Palestinians in Egypt. At the same time, Russia delivered to Israel 1.6 million tons of food and fodder grain, making Russia the leading source of grain imports to Israel; 90 percent of Israel’s wheat is imported.
Last month, the government in Kiev announced that it will start sanctions against Israel, cutting off military trade, unless the Israeli government stops buying Russian ammunition from other countries. The Netanyahu government responded on April 30 by banning the Russian bulker, Panormitisin unloading its cargo of 28,000 tons of grain in Haifa.
The Russian Foreign Ministry held a public protest in Moscow. “Apart from the baseless and baseless accusations of the Ukrainian side,” said spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, “we would like to note that Moscow regrets this step, which was obviously taken under pressure from Kiev. This contradicts the official statements of the Israeli authorities about their commitment to maintaining economic cooperation between Russia and Israel and endangers Israel’s own food security.”
Neither the President nor the State Department has publicly stated that Israel’s wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran threaten the food security of the people being attacked.
Instead, Putin publicly supported President Donald Trump’s plan to develop Gaza under a “Peace Board”. Last October, in response to an Iranian question about what Russia “can do to eliminate [genocide]”, Putin replied: “Regarding President Trump’s proposal in Gaza – you may find this surprising, but Russia is ready to support it. It depends, of course, that it really leads to the end goal we always talk about. We must carefully examine the proposals made. Since 1948 – and later in 1974, when the appropriate resolution of the UN Security Council was adopted – Russia has been supporting the creation of two states: Israel and the state of Palestine. I believe this is the only key to a final, lasting solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. As far as I know – I have not looked at this proposal carefully – it proposes to create an international administration to govern Palestine for a certain period of time, or more specifically, the Gaza Strip. It is proposed that Mr Blair take the lead. Now, he is not known as a great peacemaker. But I know him. I even visited him at his place, I spent the night there, and in the morning, drinking coffee in our pajamas, we talked for a long time. Yes, this is true.”
In the new Red Pill Diaries podcast with Rasheed Muhammad, the discussion focuses on Russia, Iran and China in opposing the Trump administration’s anti-Israel strategy. Click to listen or watch.
