Russian Influence Growing in the Middle East

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rohani, wrapped up their summit in Moscow on Tuesday, issuing a joint statement congratulating each other on the role they’re playing together in Syria and the hope of future relations built on Russia’s role in negotiations which led to the JCPOA nuclear deal. Meanwhile, the continuing war in Ukraine is fueling a growing exodus of Jews from the region, with most going to Israel.

Israel’s domestic political crisis continued to simmer Wednesday after a meeting late Tuesday between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and their closest advisers failed to produce a solution to the disagreement over the future of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. Several officials have commented on how undesirable the prospect of new elections would be and tremendous pressure is being brought to bear on factional leaders to try to find a solution to the impasse which would avoid them.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that Israel will soon add Nicaragua to the 161 countries around the world that Jerusalem has official diplomatic relations with. He added that it was another sign of the failure of the effort to Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) the Jewish State.

Police estimated Tuesday evening that several thousand Ultra-Orthodox (haredi) men poured into the streets of Jerusalem for protests against the recent arrests of a handful of yeshiva students who have refused to file paperwork which would give them a deferral from service in the military. Observers have noted that the demonstrations, which have occasionally gotten violent, are part of an internal power struggle between different factions within the haredi community.

The question now is to what extent Israel can remain determined to maintain its red lines and prevent the buildup of Hezbollah and other Iranian proxies in Syria and the deployment of these forces near the border in the Golan Heights, without destabilizing its special relations with Moscow and without causing wider escalation in the northern arena.