Netanyahu, Putin discuss diplomatic process, Mideast issues

After France demonstrated it aims to push Israel into a corner and create a Palestinian state with or without negotiations, Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear he would not allow the Jewish State to be bullied by the Europeans – and instead pivoted to Russia.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone on Tuesday and the two leaders “exchanged opinions on the Middle East peace process and urgent developments of the general situation in the region,” the Kremlin press service stated.

“They agreed to maintain Russian-Israeli contacts at various levels,” the press service said in a statement.

The prime minister’s office made no comment on the conversation.

The phone call comes just days after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said that Moscow is ready to host direct talks between Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority head (PA) Mahmoud Abbas.

Despite Russia’s ties with Iran and Syria as well as its tensions with the West over the war in Ukraine, Israel maintains a warm relationship with Moscow.

Jerusalem and Moscow have established a line of communication to prevent possible clashes between the Israeli and Russian air forces in Syria.

Netanyahu and Putin have met on four separate occasions in the past year.

The two leaders have often spoken on the phone in the past and appear to do so on a frequent basis.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News

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