Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has visited Russian President Vladimir Putin some nine times in recent years – presumably more than any other world leader. What is known about those visits – from asking that Russia not sell Syria or Iran sophisticated air defense systems to supporting diplomatic initiatives – is that the Israeli leader always comes up empty. The latest case in point is being reported on Tuesday by the daily Haaretz: Russia ran interference for the Iranian-backed Hizbullah terrorist organization in the United Nations Security Council, preventing the resolution renewing the mandate of the UNIFIL peacekeeping team in Lebanon from specifically naming Hizbullah despite the body of proof that it has grossly flouted Resolution 1701 since it ended the 2006 Lebanon war. Haaretz, which is critical of the prime minister in its coverage, notes the lack of cooperation from Putin came in the immediate aftermath of the latest Netanyahu trip to Moscow. Specifically, the US and Israel had prepared language that would have identified Hizbullah for its transgressions, but apparently those references were deleted per Putin’s instruction. Israel is concerned about the Iranian and Hizbullah presence in Syria as the 6-year old civil war winds down, but based on the results so far, Putin will not be receptive to Israel’s pleas.
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