Valdai Club

The government propaganda machine was used actively to persuade voters that Israel had no negotiating partner by exploiting the complicated political and territorial split in Palestine. The so-called territorial maximalists – the right religious nationalists – intensively promoted the ideas of indivisibility and holiness of the Land of Israel for the Jews.

The shooting down of the Russian military aircraft Il-20 in Syria is a tragic but rather predictable incident of this incessant war. Even in a traditional war with a clear front line and a clear enemy there are cases of the so-called "friendly fire". And in the war in Syria this is all but strange, because there are a lot of conflicting intertwined interests, a large number of warring parties, sporadic military operations.

Diplomatic crises between Turkey and Israel in recent years have the well-known scenario: public insults of diplomats in front of the TV cameras,  exchange of belligerent statements from senior officials on both sides. However, neither side is eager to repeat the situation of 2010, when the incident with the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" led to the break-off of diplomatic relations between Israel and Turkey.

Since the beginning of the Russian military operation in Syria in 2015, Israel carried out close coordination of actions to prevent military incidents. The Russian leadership and the Israeli government had regular contacts, that were used by the Israelis to insistently promote their position on the Syrian conflict: non-interference in the war in Syria, but using all possible ways to counter Iran's military presence increase

Opinion polls show that there are far fewer West Bank annexation supporters among Israelis than those who support the achievement of permanent or at least temporary arrangements for delineation from the Palestinians. Yet, the ruling right-wing coalition has managed to implement moves that actually indicate intentions to gradually annex Jewish settlements in the West Bank, blocking the possibility of building an independent, territorially integrated Palestinian state there.

Netanyahu’s meeting with Abbas in Moscow, if it will really take place, will be in some sense beneficial to all parties.

The gravity of Russia’s ongoing military operations in Syria requires that Russia maintain regular contact with Israel, whose territory borders the conflict area, and coordinate its military operations with Israel.

The meeting with Abbas allowed Russian authorities to deliver all the necessary information about their actions in Syria and expect the Palestinian leader's further favorable interpretation of the mission in contacts with Arab authorities.

Re-elected Israel's Prime Minister B. Netanyahu has recently affirmed his position on the Palestine-Israel peace process: he recognizes that it should base on the principle of two states and two nations.