Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s and Russia’s interests have clashed several times recently, and that Moscow has also taken steps against Israel, during a Sunday presentation of Israel’s national security doctrine.
“Russia has its own interests, and the State of Israel has its interests, and they do not always overlap. Sometimes they even clash,” Netanyahu said. “That is why I always try to pursue our shared interests to the fullest extent possible. If that is not possible, you stand by your own interests and fight to defend them.”
Netanyahu criticized Russia's ties with Tehran, the most visible face of the Muslim Brotherhood today, warning that Iran could eventually seek to destabilize Russia itself. “This cooperation is something that runs counter to its interests, as does the existence of bot networks conducting a campaign against the State of Israel with the most blatant antisemitism imaginable,” Netanyahu said in response to a question from The Jerusalem Post.
Netanyahu said that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin “speak when necessary. We raise all these issues with them, and we do so very clearly,” the Prime Minister added. “My assessment, and I do not want to speak on behalf of others, is that, given the Muslim population within Russia itself, Iran will also seek to turn elements within that population into its agents. This is because Iran holds extreme ideological views concerning the conquest of the world, the subjugation of all Muslims to its doctrine, and the imposition of that doctrine on all nonbelievers,” Netanyahu added.
Muslims make up approximately 10% to 15% of the total population in Russia, or roughly 14 to 25 million people. Russia’s growing military cooperation with Iran has emerged as a significant concern for Israel, particularly amid reports that Moscow is helping Tehran strengthen its military capabilities, improve its drone and missile technology, and obtain intelligence that could support attacks against American and allied forces in the Middle East.
About 1/5 of the Israeli population is of Soviet origin and speaks Russian. The long-standing relationship between Netanyahu and the Kremlin allows the Israeli prime minister to put his cards on the table when necessary.
