Israel and Russia: BFFs? Netanyahu’s budding ‘bromance’ with Putin
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/06/08/israel-and-russia-bbfs-netanyahus-budding-bromance-with-putin/?tid=sm_twJERUSALEM — It’s no secret that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a thorny personal relationship with the leader of his country’s closest ally, President Obama. There is a long litany of faux pas and numerous public comments showing that there is no love lost between these two.
[For American Israelis, rift between Obama and Netanyahu is family affair]
That’s why it’s no big surprise that Netanyahu this week is on yet another trip — his third since September — to Moscow, to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.The trip was meant to mark 25 years of bilateral relations between Israel and Russia but, as many in both countries pointed out, it also indicated a blooming “bromance” between the Russian president and the Israeli prime minister.
Writing in Israeli daily Haaretz on the first day of Netanyahu’s trip to Moscow, journalist Barak Ravid noted: “It wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that the ties between Israel and Russia have never been better. It’s a fact. The volume of trade and tourism, as well as security and diplomatic cooperation, are at their peak.”
“Just to compare,” wrote Ravid: “During this same period Netanyahu has met with U.S. President Barack Obama only once.”"Russia is a global power and our relations are getting closer,” Netanyahu said in a statement Sunday ahead of his visit.
