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Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is traveling to Russia this week. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Kazakhstan. Each is delivering the same message to Russia: Do not interpret our actions as being a threat to Russia, and therefore do not become more aggressive toward us.
Olmert, who will be out of office shortly, will nevertheless be asking the Russians for the same thing his successor will want: “We will remind them again of matters that trouble us greatly,” Olmert said. These matters include “the supply of arms to irresponsible elements whose activities worry us very much.” That obviously refers to Syria, Iran, Hezbollah and various elements of the Palestinian movement. In return, the Israelis are making a symbolic gesture, returning property in Jerusalem claimed by the Russian Orthodox Church. We assume that he will make two additional substantial offers. The first is limiting Israeli cooperation with Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union. The second, and more delicate, will be a promise not to protect Russian oligarchs who have dual Russian-Israeli citizenship from Russian attempts to get them to repatriate at least some of the wealth they have taken out of the country. We do not know that he will address these issues, but he certainly isn’t thinking that he will get something for nothing from the Russians.
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