Israel is resentful towards Russia and US

Peter Lyukimson, Israel. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

The Minister of Strategic Planning and International Affairs of Israel Yuval Steinitz accused the leadership of Russia of pursuing an irresponsible policy which could lead to unpredictable consequences.

This statement by Steinitz was made after the Foreign Ministry of Russia had rejected reports that Moscow had decided to cancel the export of surface-to-air missile systems S-300 to Syria at Israel’s request. The embassy of Syria in Russia also confirmed that the deal remained valid.

The deputy foreign minister of Russia, Sergey Ryabkov, said that export of S-300 systems was aimed at the prevention of foreign interference into Syrian affairs. However, Israel doesn’t believe in this explanation. In his turn, Steinitz reminded that the number of dead people in the civil war in Syria was close to 100,000 people; hundreds of thousands of Syrians became refugees; and supplying Bashar Assad with S-300 systems “would give Assad’s regime an opportunity to kill its citizens with impunity,” according to the minister.

Moreover, Steinitz rejected the Russian sides’ statements that S-300 systems were purely defense armament and noted that it could be used against Israel. Steinitz also added that Israel would protect its interests anyway.

In the context of growing tension in relations with Russia, Israel begins to heavily criticize President Barack Obama, who earlier stated that the USA would convince the international society to interfere in the conflict, if the Assad regime used chemical weapons. According to Israeli experts, Obama constantly breaks his own promises, showing hesitation; it reduces his own authority and  US authority. The same experts accuse the current head of the White House of an inability to provide a constructive dialogue with Russia and reach a consensus on major global problems. “Obama is the weakest and smallest-minded president in the US history,” Israeli media writes.