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Netanyahu: Russia’s interest in Israel, to avoiding clashes in Syria

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained Russia’s possible interests in cooperating with the Jewish state during a discussion organized by an American think tank, stressing that mutual interests between Moscow and Jerusalem have materialized a coordination mechanism that is meant to avoid unnecessary clashes between the two countries in Syria.

“I think Russia has variegated interests. The first interest is to make sure militant Islam does not penetrate destabilize Russia. There are many millions of Muslims in Russia, including in greater Moscow, I think it’s up to two million. And the concern that Russia has, which many countries have is that these populations would be radicalized. And so I think that explains part, not all. Part of what Mr. Putin is doing in Syria, I think they like to cut it at the source, as do others. Obviously the United States would like to do it, and the other countries that are participating in the coalition. First thing is, block militant Islam at its source, especially the Da’esh phenomenon. For that they make strange alliances.” / “I said, we can actually have our forces shoot down each other’s planes, I think a few weeks later, something happened to that effect but not with Israel, or we can avoid it. So periodically we have to sort of tighten the bolts, because not everything that is said at the top necessarily reaches the bottom levels, field levels. They do on the Israeli side, but they don’t necessarily always do so on the other side. So the second thing is we want to avoid a clash. What is Mr. Putin’s interest? He definitely doesn’t want that to happen,” said Netanyahu

With Russian forces fighting alongside Iran and its Lebanese-proxy Hezbollah to keep Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power, Putin is the closest thing to a guarantor that Israel’s three most potent enemies will not attack it from the north. Netanyahu can offer Putin reciprocal Israeli restraint in Syria, where Russia maintains a strategic Mediterranean base, and a chance to play a greater role in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking that has long been dominated by the United States.