World Press on Vladimir Putin's visit to Middle East (June 27, 2012)

The Jerusalem Post published an exhaustive article on President Putin's recent visit to the Middle East and Russian-Israeli relations in general. 

According to the author of the article, "it is impossible to ignore the many points of dispute between the nations. Despite the strong relations between Jerusalem and Moscow, the Kremlin provides crucial support to countries extremely antagonistic toward Israel – particularly Syria and Iran."

"Today, while they (Russia and Israel) may not be actively working to advance Israeli interests in the region, the Russians under Putin’s leadership are no longer interested in undermining the Jewish state. Israeli and Russian interests may not dovetail, but the points of dispute between the two countries are primarily a byproduct of Moscow’s desire to counter US influence in the region, and have little if anything to do with Russia’s intentions with regard to Israel," the article reads.

"Russia wants good relations with both Muslim states and Israel, but will pursue its own interests even if this means snubbing Israel by, for example, selling arms to Syria or pushing a diplomatic solution on Iran," the author believes.