Bibi flogs Putin over Gaza stance and Iran ties
"The Prime Minister expressed his annoyance over anti-Israel stances by Russian representatives at the United Nations and other fora," says the Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
(THE TIMES OF ISRAEL) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Russian leader Vladimir Putin for nearly an hour last Sunday, criticising Moscow’s alliance with Iran and expressing dissatisfaction with its stance on Israel’s war with Hamas.
Netanyahu stepped out of his government’s weekly cabinet meeting for the approximately 50-minute phone call, his office said, the first talks between the leaders since mid-October amid rapidly cooling ties between Jerusalem and Moscow.
Since war broke out on October 7, Russia has regularly criticised Israel, including in the UN Security Council, while at the same time hosting leaders of the Hamas terror group in a development widely seen as an extension of its increasingly friendly ties with Iran.
“The Prime Minister expressed his annoyance over anti-Israel stances by Russian representatives at the United Nations and other fora,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
It added that Netanyahu “expressed sharp criticism over the dangerous cooperation between Russia and Iran”.
Moscow hosted a Hamas delegation in late October for meetings at which Kremlin officials expressed support for their positions, further straining already frayed ties between Israel and Russia, which has regularly criticised Israel’s Gaza offensive.
Russia has also fostered a closer relationship with Iran, which has become a key ally as Moscow seeks support for its invasion of Ukraine. Israel had offered only relatively modest support for Kyiv in a bid to safeguard its relationship with Russia, but the once-close allies have nonetheless grown far apart.
Putin has repeatedly criticised Israel’s military campaign against Hamas, called for aid to Gaza and urged a ceasefire with a UN Security Council resolution not mentioning Hamas. Moscow has backed Israel’s right to defend itself but has blasted Israel for employing “cruel methods” in its campaign against the terror group.
During Sunday’s call, Netanyahu expressed “appreciation” for Moscow’s efforts to free Roni Krivoi, an Israeli-Russian dual citizen who had been taken hostage and was let go as a gesture to Putin late last month, the PMO said.
He also urged Putin to put pressure on the Red Cross, which Israel has accused of making little effort to try to get access to the hostages, which is part of its mandate.
According to the state-run TASS news agency, Putin told Netanyahu that Moscow rejects terrorism, but it cannot support the “dire” situation of Gazan civilians.
The conversation focused on “the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip”, with Putin saying that Israel’s military response to the Hamas terror onslaught cannot lead “to such dire consequences for the civilian population”, according to a statement from the Kremlin carried by the agency.
On Thursday, Putin met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, praising Tehran’s support for Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine and holding talks on the Israel–Hamas war.
“It is very important for us to exchange views on the situation in the region, especially with regard to the situation in Palestine,” Putin said.
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