In refusing to back Ukraine, did Bibi gain points with Putin?
“Netanyahu. Another league.” That was the caption on a giant Likud campaign poster depicting Israel’s prime minister shaking hands with world leaders, among them Russian president Vladimir Putin.
That was back in 2019. Fast-forward to late 2023, and Bibi and Putin may still be in the same league — but now it’s clear they play on opposing teams.
The clearest evidence of this fractured relationship was Hamas’s decision to prioritize the release of Russian-Israeli dual citizens kidnapped on October 7, as an expression of gratitude “for the supportive position for the Palestinian cause.”
Senior Hamas representative Mousa Abu Marzook told Reuters, “We received a list of citizens that have dual [Russian-Israeli] citizenship. We are looking for those people… And when we find them, we will let them go. We are very attentive to this list and we will handle it carefully because we look at Russia as our closest friend.”
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