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Warmth in Moscow; reality in Iran

Prime Minister Olmert received a very welcoming reception from President Putin, but only on the surface

After spending four hours with the Russian president, Ehud Olmert felt the warmth: "We have become significantly closer," he said on his return flight. But ambience is one thing while reality is another.

 

Putin spoke warmly after hearing Olmert's request to minimize Russia's support for the Iranian nuclear project, to prevent transfer of Russian arms to Hizbullah and to stand up against the Hamas government. But the seemingly innocent words uttered by the Russian president were nothing but words.

 

It was easy for Olmert to become confused after coming into the warm glow of the presidential office and out of the Moscow cold , particularly after a police escort blocked the entire city for the prime minister's entourage en route to the presidential suite at the Grand Marriot Hotel.


Olmert (left) and Putin (Photo: Reuters)

 

On the surface the reception seemed very welcoming, but only on the surface. Anyone with eyes in their head would understand that Moscow didn't turn into a lover of Zion this past week, and that Olmert's visit didn't put Jerusalem at the top of Russia's priorities.

 

Russia isn't bothering to hide the fact that it is 20 times larger than Israel. Vladimir Putin made it clear that he is the president of a kingdom and that he rules 142 million subjects. Therefore, it didn't occur to Putin to apologize for selling arms to Israel's enemies, including the Iranians and the Syrians.

 

The Iranian nuclear project alone with its eight facilities, the largest at Busher, is earning more for Russia than Israel could ever purchase from Russia in the future. The two billion dollars a year business ties Israel has with Russia are negligible compared to the deals Russia has with the Arab world.

 

Vlada, the name Russian cynics have given Putin, serves Russia's interests. Russia's path back to the golden era passes through Teheran and Damascus. The prime minister's office on Kaplan Street in Jerusalem may serve as the location for a polite courtesy call, no more.

 

Does Russia want a nuclear Iran?

The Russians have some interesting arguments explaining why they should assist in developing nuclear technology in Iran rather than letting India or China do it, for example.

 

Andrei Kokoshin, a veteran at the Duma (the lower house of parliament), was formerly in charge of Iran's nuclear project in the Russian government and served as deputy defense minister and secretary of the national security commission in Russia.

 

Kadima party Knesset member Zeev Elkin asked him why Russia supports nuclear development in Iran. Kokoshin's answer caught him by surprise: "It's better for Russia to maintain a presence there. If Russia ceases its involvement, China and India will bring in their nuclear know-how and there will be much less control over them."

 

How come? Asked the surprised Elkin. "It's very important for India and China to maintain low oil rates. If Russia takes its hands out of Iran's nuclear development, the Iranians will raise the price of oil in response. Bombay and Beijing are willing to pay Teheran with nuclear knowledge just to keep the costs of oil down. This way they will benefit twice – they will sell nuclear know-how and keep the cost of energy low."

 

Despite this seemingly rational argument, Kokoshin assured his Israeli interlocutor that the Duma is concerned about the situation. "No one wants a nuclear bomb near his border, although the Iranian bomb will pose more of a threat to Washington and Jerusalem than to us."

 

So how do we solve this predicament, asked Elkin. "The US must stop interfering in our affairs vis-à-vis Georgia and Ukraine, and we in turn shall maintain our presence in Teheran and prevent the Iranians from developing the bomb." Why didn't we think of this sooner?

 

Russian Aliyah

"We love you and want you in Israel," the prime minister told the Jewish community in Moscow. But what Olmert heard wasn't optimistic: Some 800,000 Jews live there, about 100,000 of them in Moscow. Semyon Dovzhik, a single 34-year-old Aliyah emissary, said there is a high rate of assimilation among Jews in Russia. "There are more than 70 percent mixed marriages here. The birthrate in the community is very low: For every 14 deaths, one Jew is born," he noted.

 

On the other hand, the figures of 3,000 who made Aliyah last year is encouraging.

 

"Contrary to the past, Russian Jews don't escape to Israel, they choose to go there," says Dovzhik. "These are Jews from the medium to high socioeconomic strata, who have suddenly discovered Israel and care.

 

Let's take, for example, a group of 10 Russian Jews in their 20s who renovated a kindergarten hit by a Katyusha rocket in the northern town of Shlomi in the recent war. Such a thing was unheard of among Russian Jews in the past. This involvement will ultimately bring them to Israel as well."

 

Jewish Agency Chairman Zeev Bielski, who joined Olmert in Moscow, said that "the Jewish Agency's policies are very different than what they were in the past. We don't shun Jews who don't want to make Aliyah, that's the trick. We bring them closer to us and don't drive them away. We also help those who remain here to connect with their Judaism.

 

The prime minister, whose mother was born in Odessa, was visibly excited: "Who would have expected that I would ever come here as Israel's prime minister and speak openly with the Jewish people? Your home is in Israel." Now all he has to do is handle the budgetary issues, which he couldn't do when he sought to realize his predecessor Ariel Sharon's resolution in bringing the remaining Falash Mura to Israel from Ethiopia.

 

The judo outfit

And on the sidelines of the Moscow visit, one of the most interesting stories revolved around the gift Olmert presented the Russian president. Olmert gave Putin, a judo enthusiast, a judo outfit with a black belt. The flags of Israel and Russia were sewn onto the outfit.

 

The problem at the Prime Minister's Office was how to get Putin's measurements to avoid the embarrassment of a misfit. Officials at the PM's Office convened to tackle the problem.

 

Finally, a young man called Arie Veron from the political department found the answer. He discovered an Internet site that posted the measurements of all world leaders. The site didn't disappoint them and Putin's size was found. The outfit, it turned out, fitted like a glove.

 

Putin was very touched by the gift and told Olmert that his trainer is Jewish. Now PM's Office officials are waiting to see if Putin will in fact don the Israeli-Russian outfit at one of the upcoming judo competitions in which he is due to partake.

 


פרסום ראשון: 10.22.06, 18:04
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