Rivlin Tells Putin Iran Must Stay Off Syrian – Israeli Border
Rivlin Tells Putin Iran Must Stay Off Syrian – Israeli Border
By: David Israel Published: March 17th, 2016
Source: The Jewish Press » » Rivlin Tells Putin Iran Must Stay Off Syrian – Israeli Border
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (L) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo by Mark Neyman/GPO
Israeli Presidents very rarely find themselves in a position to decide policy or negotiate with foreign powers — their role as heads of state is similar to that of the British monarchs, a symbol of government rather than the real thing. But on Wednesday President Reuven Rivlin found himself in the unexpected position of delivering a critical message to the leader of the second largest world power, President Vladimir Putin, and charting the start of a new relationship between Israel and Russia over Syria.
As the world discovered on Monday this week, President Putin announced that the war in Syria had been won and he was pulling the bulk of the Russian military contingency from the battlefield. It was a brilliant move on the part of the Russian leader, whose main achievement since the start of his involvement in Syria had been to wipe out the Western- and Saudi-funded rebels, leaving President Bashar al-Assad as the only viable alternative to the ISIS hordes. He outmaneuvered President Obama by several steps, and left Middle East leaders gasping with astonishment. This included Israel’s leadership. In fact, the original message President Rivlin was asked to deliver to Putin on his pre-scheduled state Visit Wednesday, was a call to coordinate the activities of the IDF and the Russian army in the Syrian Golan heights, along Israel’s north-eastern border.
On Monday night that message had to be scrapped and a completely new policy had to be charted on the spot, in advance of the Wednesday meeting in the Kremlin. “I felt that I was thrown into battle as the envoy of the prime minister, the defense minister and the chief of staff,” Rivlin related. His mission, outlined in a hurry on Monday night, was to draw Israel’s lines in the sand as far as the post-Russian Syrian arena was concerned.
In the end, those lines in the sand were not so hard to figure out, and Rivlin delivered the message succinctly: there will be no entry of Iranian forces into the Syrian Golan heights; there will be no transfer of advanced Russian weapons and technology into the hands of Hezbollah; there will be no Israeli retreat from the Golan heights. Those are the issues over which Israel, if pushed, would go to war.
According to reports in Israel’s media, Putin’s response was friendly and understanding — at least on the surface. He repeated his commitment to Israel’s security, if only, he joked, because so many Russians live and visit there. Putin then inquired about the steps Israel is prepared to take to advance peace with the Palestinian Arabs and President Rivlin responded with the list of efforts and gestures Israel has made since 1993 to reach peace, and promised that—short of national suicide—Israel would continue to try everything in its power to reach peace.
There will be a meeting between Putin and Prime Minister Netanyahu soon, but until then, over in Jerusalem, they appreciated Rivlin’s unscheduled relief pitching.
Explore posts in the same categories: UncategorizedTags: Anti Semitism, IDF, Iran, Islam, Islamic Jihad, Israel, Middle East, Middle East War, Putin, Reuven Rivlin, Russia, Syria, Terrorism, Vladimir Putin
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
WarSclerotic 
March 17, 2016 at 10:18 AM
Rivlin talks with Putin regarding Iran and Hezbollah in Syria
During the meeting, Putin stressed his commitment for Israel’s security. Immediately following the meeting, Rivlin spoke over the phone with Netanyahu, the Defense Minister and the IDF Chief of Staff.
In addition, Putin invited Netanyahu to Moscow in order to discuss the latest developments following the withdrawal of most of the Russian troops from Syria. Apparently, during the meeting the 2 leaders intend to find a way to preserve the countries’ tight security coordination, after most of the Russian soldiers leave the region.
http://www.jerusalemonline.com/news/politics-and-military/politics/rivlin-discusses-israels-security-concerns-with-putin-19848
March 17, 2016 at 10:22 AM
Israel presents red lines to Russia on Golan, Iran
The Israeli leader also touched on the future status of the Golan Heights, which Syria continues to claim as sovereign territory, despite Israel’s annexation of the area in 1981. Rivlin reportedly told Putin that borders of both Syria and Iraq were arbitrarily drawn during the First World War, and did not reflect present realities.
Rivlin even suggested that the borders of both countries be altered, suggesting support not only for recognition of Israel’s annexation of the Golan, but possibly the partition of both Iraq and Syria.
The Israeli President emphasized Israel’s concerns, laying out the country’s red lines vis-à-vis Syria. Israel would not accept, Rivlin told Putin, the presence of Iranian armed forces near the Golan Heights. Rivlin expressed hope that the United Nations peacekeeping force separating Israel and Syria would return, restoring the buffer between the two countries that has been absent since 2013.
Rivlin also noted that the future of the Golan Heights was non-negotiable, and that the area must remain under Israeli control.
Putin told Rivlin that Russia was committed to Israel’s security, and that the Russian president had “a personal commitment towards all of those Russians who immigrated to Israel.”
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/209527#.VupovdCo3Cg