By Sarah Stern, Emet— There are certain moments in history where we as a civilization are put to the test. Such a moment occurred during the Soviet Jewry movement, when thousands of American Jews did everything in their power to support brave dissidents. They struggled for the right to emigrate so that they could live…
By Ilan Berman, Al-Hurra Digital— What a difference four years can make. In the Fall of 2015, Russia’s government made the decision to formally launch a military offensive in support of the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Back then, the Kremlin’s regional position was profoundly weak. After a period of protracted post-Cold War decline,…
By Herb Keinon, JPost— Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to go to Sochi on Wednesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his fourth visit to Russia in the last 16 months. For reporters who cover Netanyahu, the drill is well known. Following the premier’s meeting with Putin, either he or one of…
By Jerusalem Post— The United States, Russia and Israel have reportedly reached a consensus on the need to restrict and eventually expel pro-Iranian forces from gaining influence in Syria, the Kuwati daily newspaper Al-Rai reported Saturday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to the Arab outlet, has reached an understanding with Washington and Moscow that pro-Iranian…
By Raphael Ahren, Times of Israel— Israel will prevent Iran from establishing a military presence in Syria, and will continue to intervene to stop Iran arming Hezbollah and other Shiite militias there, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, on Thursday in Jerusalem. Moscow is a staunch supporter of Basher Assad’s…
By Or Heller, Israel Defense— Anyone travelling this summer through the northern part of Israel or, more specifically along the northern border, will see another, different border. The sun beats down hard when you drive along the border, but if you listen to the assessments of senior IDF officers, this summer will only be hot…
By Debkafile— The talks between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Reccep Erdogen in St. Petersburg scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 9, are causing trepidation among Israel’s policy-makers and military leaders. Their summit takes place on the sidelines of the G-20 summit, concluding nine months of hostility between the two capitals that was sparked by Turkish jets shooting…
By Suman Varandani, International Business Times— Russia will begin the first shipment of the S-300 air defense missile system to Iran in the coming days, Interfax news agency quoted a senior Russian diplomat as saying Tuesday. “I don’t know if this will happen today, but they (S-300 missiles) will be loaded (for shipment to Iran),”…
By Matt Wanderman, Arutz 7— Hundreds of Russian-speaking Jews gathered to protest anti-Semitism in New York this past Wednesday. The rally was organized by a number of the community’s leaders, including Ari Kagan, Margarita Kagan and Gregory Davidzon. Eugene Lekakh, the Director-General of the American Forum on Russian Jewry, explained that Islamist violence has been…
By Josh Cohen, JPOST— Love or hate him, the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military intervention in Syria unquestionably upended Middle Eastern politics. Putin supported Syrian President Bashar Assad, established several military bases in Syria, created a de-facto Russian-Shi’ite axis, confronted Turkey and forced the West to re-engage with him. While all the region’s major players…