Netanyahu and Putin agree that Assad and Al-Sisi are better than alternatives

It has been reported that Israel’s prime minister and Russia’s President Putin agree that having Bashar Al-Assad in Syria and Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Egypt is better than the current alternatives of “extremists” and the Muslim Brotherhood. Maariv newspaper added that Benjamin Netanyahu has also been promised by Putin that he will block any conference proposed to discuss nuclear disarmament in the Middle East.

Netanyahu, claimed Maariv, is not relying on the US administration’s policy in the Middle East and is convinced that Israel must develop new alliances and enhance its relations with other countries, including Russia. Putin, believes Netanyahu, has an interest in Middle East stability and the confrontation of the threats posed by “extremist Islam”.

Although Netanyahu did not expect to convince Putin to oppose the US-Iran rapprochement when the two met in Moscow last month, Maariv said that he was able to receive important security guarantees. Such guarantees may preserve Israel’s strategic capabilities, especially since Russia, the rival of Israel’s main ally the United States, is making them.

During their meeting, Netanyahu noted that the disarmament conference first mooted by US President Barack Obama in 2010 will focus on the nuclear weapons possessed by Israel, and that would harm Israel’s strategic interests. He told Putin that such a conference is only possible after peaceful relations exist between Israel and the Arab world.