Putin’s Mid East Visits Signpost Unfolding Russian Penetration
Israeli officials are not sure what to make of Vladimir Putin’s current Middle East tour, the first Russian president ever to initiate a visit to Jerusalem and the first world leader to call on Palestinian Authority leaders in Ramallah. Putin himself made much of the one million Israelis who understood every word he said in Jerusalem. Despite differences over key issues, he and his hosts basked in the warm friendliness of their encounters.

Putin was able to converse freely in the Russian language with Mahmoud Abbas, an old colleague from their Cold War days in the KGB First (Foreign Relations) Directorate. Last January, Abbas, newly elected to replace the late Yasser Arafat, chose Moscow for his first overseas trip outside the Middle East. There, as DEBKAfile reported at the time, he held secret talks with his former KGB bosses on collaboration and settled with Putin on a Russian-Palestinian arms deal to be unveiled when opportune. The time for that is now.

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If you haven't read the lead article on Russian penetration into the Middle East you need to in its entirety.  Seems Russian President Vladimir Putin's latest visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority has raised suspicion as to his motives for the visit.  After touring Jerusalem he went on to visit his ex-KGB colleague Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.  Apparently, both worked together back in the Cold War days in the KGB First Directorate. Following the meeting Abbas (who speaks fluent Russian) and Putin came to terms on a Russian-Palestinian arms deal to be divulged at a later date.

This is what DEBKAfile has learned that may shed some light on the motives of the Russian president’s visit:

"The Kremlin has embarked on a cautiously evolving strategic drive to re-establish itself in the Arab world. Its anti-aircraft missile deal with Syria is believed by DEBKAfile’s strategic experts to be only a foretaste of much larger transactions to come. The deal happened at the very moment when Syrian president Bashar Assad’s fortunes are at their lowest ebb after his army was pushed out of Lebanon by a joint US-French shove. Putin sees long-term advantage in strengthening the Syrian ruler’s standing in the eyes of his military. And should a military coup unseat Assad, Russia will already have its foot firmly through the door of any future regime.

These are not the only irons in Putin’s Middle East fire. While rapping Iranian nuclear weapons aspirations in public, the Russian leader has formed a developed nuclear relationship with Tehran. Semi-clandestine ties (on the Abu Mazen model) are maintained with pro-Baath Iraqis actively running the guerrilla war against US forces from outside the country. The Russians are also in close contact with such Palestinian radical and terrorist groups as the Popular and Democratic Fronts for the Liberation of Palestine.

Put together, these connections add up to a quiet political and military Russian penetration of Middle East forces close to the fringes of power in a way that will not arouse too much attention in Washington, but will at the same time provide Moscow with an inside track to regional developments and jumping-off points for broader penetrations."

With the increased co-operation with its Arab allies, Russia has virtually cut Israel out of its counter-terror loop.  These days, the Kremlin is keeping all information sharing very tight.  Israel's latest bid for intelligence sharing (2004) with Moscow has hit a brick wall and resulted in little to nothing in exchange.

Personally, I see a pattern developing that could spell trouble for Israel in the near future.  What many may not know is that according to the Russian constitution President Vladimir Putin's final term ends in 2008.  Somehow I just can't see him riding into the sunset come 2008, but we'll see.  Either way, I wouldn't rule out a possible Russian-Arab attack against Israel before the year 2008.

Are you ready to meet the Lord?  If not your time is running out!

Pastor Malone