Netanyahu's Conversation with Putin on 'Reviving Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who recently traveled to Moscow and discussed 'military and intelligence coordination' between Israel and Russia regarding Syria with President Vladimir Putin, had a new phone conversation with Mr. Putin on Monday night, September 2. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Wednesday, September 3, that this conversation between the political leaders of Israel and Russia was initiated by Mr. Netanyahu. According to Haaretz, the discussion focused on 'Middle Eastern affairs' and 'efforts to resume Israeli-Palestinian political talks.' The recent remarks of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi were also mentioned in this phone call. Earlier this week, el-Sisi stated that Putin informed him of his readiness to host a meeting in Moscow to revive political talks between Israel and the Palestinians and for a meeting between Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas. Following el-Sisi's remarks, Israeli media reported that an Israeli delegation traveled to Cairo on Monday for a few hours to gather more details from Egyptian officials. Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the Palestinian Authority, also stated that he would consider Russia's proposal positively if it were formally presented. Israeli-Palestinian political talks have been at a serious impasse for years. The conversation between the Israeli Prime Minister and the Russian President took place amid Russia's recent announcement of air operations by its bombers from the Hamadan airbase in Iran against Syrian opposition positions, revealing part of its recent agreements with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan and Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, emphasized that these collaborations are part of Iran's strategic policy in supporting the 'Resistance Front.' From the perspective of the Iranian government, the main components of the 'Resistance Front' in the Middle East include Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Palestinian organizations such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Shamkhani stated in an interview with Iranian media on Tuesday, September 2, that it was Iran that brought Russia alongside it to support the 'Resistance Front' and 'to achieve a more decisive victory' over 'takfiri forces and terrorists in Syria.' Iran's agreement to allow refueling for Russian bombers from one of its major airbases in the west of the country comes at a time when Israel has also recently concluded a series of important military and intelligence agreements with Russia. Netanyahu himself has met with Vladimir Putin four times recently during his visits to Moscow, expressing gratitude for Russia's readiness to understand 'Israel's security needs' regarding the region. Netanyahu emphasized that Russia and Israel have achieved effective coordination to prevent air clashes between Israeli and Russian fighter jets in Syrian airspace. Senior military officials from both Israel and Russia have also determined the details of this 'coordination' during reciprocal visits to Moscow and Tel Aviv. Western media attribute airstrikes on weapons shipments and missile depots in Syria, as well as the killing of Samir Quntar, a senior Hezbollah official, in his residence near Damascus International Airport, to Israel. In January 2015, the death of Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of Imad Mughniyeh, a senior operational official of Hezbollah, along with several other members of the group and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Colonel Mohammad Ali Allahdadi at the Quneitra border in Syria, was also attributed to Israeli operations. Some mid-level Israeli officials implicitly confirmed this. Meanwhile, the Israeli government has remained silent regarding Russia's military cooperation with Iran, which it identifies as its 'main enemy.' However, a 'senior official' in Israel told the Ma'ariv newspaper last Thursday that despite the landing of Russian fighter jets at the Hamadan airbase, indicating the strengthening of Russia-Iran cooperation, Israel's cooperation with Russia has 'not been disrupted.' On the other hand, neither Israeli nor Russian officials have indicated that Israel might benefit from the new situation due to its close friendship with Russia and its military and intelligence cooperation with Moscow.