Russia “cheated” Israel

Israel was not consequent in the claims of disapproval of international involvement.

On Tuesday Russian ambassador in Israel Gennady Tarasov was called to the Israeli Ministry for Foreign Relations. Its head, Job Biran expressed “unsatisfaction and disagreements of Israel regarding the Moscow’s initiative” concerning the “Road Map” plan. The new resolution is seen by Israeli government as a Russia’s attempt of “usurpation” of the US’ leading role in Palestine-Israel conflict resolution. In the end of October, Russia lodged a resolution project to the UN security council. This project included a formal UN approval of the peaceful conflict resolving plan, ie the same “Road Map”. One of the main propositions of this plan was also a creation of an independent Palestine state by 2005. In exchange, Palestine has to provide safety guarantees to Israel. On the 19th of November UN security council approved this resolution project with 100% votes “for”.  

A week after Israeli Ministry for Foreign Relationships rushed his anger onto the Russian ambassador. Israel does not approve any third-party intervention into the conflict. “Only straight dialogue and not UN or any other international organization actions would lead to peace”, to quote Israeli MFR at the meeting with the Russian ambassador. Israel is afraid that the new UN resolution would become yet another forcing power over their politics towards Palestine.

Russia, the USA and the EU developed the plan of peaceful conflict resolution. Israel holds that the EU, the UN and Russia are pro-Palestinian, and hence does not want their involvement it the peace process, citing that it is to be resolved in “dialogue”. At the same time, the American services in negotiations are not declined. So the Israeli MFR chief was not consequent in his claims of disapproval of international involvement. It is curious that American representative in the UN security council did not oppose the Russian resolution project.

The nervous (although, belated) reaction of Israel can be also explained by rumors on Vladimir Putin’s promises to Ariel Sharon to change the Russian position on UN resolutions concerning Israel (even though after the Putin-Sharon meetings, Israeli themselves claimed that Putin did not promise to vote against the resolution in UN, as Sharon asked him). So, the relationships between Russia and Israel remain at the same level as before: “moderate and nice”. Sharon’s visit to Moscow did not have any influence in this respect.