CrabbedOne
Walking sideways snippily
In JPost 'Russia and US tensions over Syria dangerous for Israel'
Someone once described Israeli management of their problems with the neighbours as "Beating the Arabs with a stick until they love us." The Baathists "Assad, or we burn the country!" is undeniably more brutal but not so alien a concept. The Israeli approach to uprisings differs from Assad's Russian allies mainly in its brevity and superior hasbara.
The Israelis have been a pawn in the competition between Washington and Moscow before. They killed quite a few Soviet advisors to Syrian forces back in the day while the Russians stirred trouble around them. When the Putin's Russians invaded Georgia the advisory IDF presence melted away. On Russian entry into theatre in support of Assad they carefully de-conflicted and went neutral on his ouster. The Russians in turn defer to them over strikes against HA. Tel Aviv has just been promised a huge bung by DC to by a fleet of F-35s but the US-Israeli relationship is somewhat rocky. They currently have good relations with both big powers and are enjoying a window of peace. The US and Russia ever getting into a fight over which Arab rules the wreckage of Syria is not a welcome prospect.
Interestingly ambiguous Israeli view while Samantha Powers rants about Russian barbarism.The escalation of rhetoric between Russia and the United States over Syria's Civil War is creating a dangerous situation for Israel, former Israeli envoy to the United Nations Ron Prosor told Army Radio on Monday.
"We have here a dangerous situation. It is dangerous, by the way, also to [Israel], because we find ourselves right in the middle," Prosor said. "We coordinate with Russia, and the Americans are an important strategic asset for us."
Prosor said that a conflict between the Americans and Russians could create "a very uncomfortable reality" for Israel.
The former envoy to the UN said that the level of rhetoric in recent days between the world powers is unprecedented in Syria's Civil War, however, he does not believe at this point that it will turn into a physical confrontation.
"There is a head on confrontation between the world powers who both currently maintain a presence in the arena, not through proxies," he stated. "As far as we are concerned, as a country that is in the area with these world powers, who are in the midst of an escalating conflict, the arena is complicated."
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Someone once described Israeli management of their problems with the neighbours as "Beating the Arabs with a stick until they love us." The Baathists "Assad, or we burn the country!" is undeniably more brutal but not so alien a concept. The Israeli approach to uprisings differs from Assad's Russian allies mainly in its brevity and superior hasbara.
The Israelis have been a pawn in the competition between Washington and Moscow before. They killed quite a few Soviet advisors to Syrian forces back in the day while the Russians stirred trouble around them. When the Putin's Russians invaded Georgia the advisory IDF presence melted away. On Russian entry into theatre in support of Assad they carefully de-conflicted and went neutral on his ouster. The Russians in turn defer to them over strikes against HA. Tel Aviv has just been promised a huge bung by DC to by a fleet of F-35s but the US-Israeli relationship is somewhat rocky. They currently have good relations with both big powers and are enjoying a window of peace. The US and Russia ever getting into a fight over which Arab rules the wreckage of Syria is not a welcome prospect.