MOSCOW, November 7./TASS/. The new Israeli government, which will be formed following the snap parliamentary elections, will reduce support for Ukraine, while the issue of arms supplies to Kiev will disappear from the ‘political arena’, Senior Research Fellow at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oriental Studies Boris Dolgov told TASS on Monday.
Commenting on the November 1 Israeli parliamentary elections in which former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party won election to the Knesset (parliament), the expert expressed his belief that right-wing forces "will manage to restore their influence" and create a new coalition. The new coalition government may turn out to be noticeably more moderate towards Ukraine, the expert opined.
"There were reports that the former Israeli leadership even intended to supply arms to Kiev, officially supporting the Ukrainian regime. That aspect may change. I don't believe we will see arms supplies to Kiev if the right-wingers come to power. Even the previous government talked about this indirectly, but in case of changes in the Israeli leadership, this aspect will probably disappear from the political landscape - there will be no arms deliveries. Overt support may also somewhat fade away. But a lot depends on the outcome of the conflict in Ukraine," the expert stressed in the conversation with TASS.
Thaw in dialogue with Moscow
Further developments in the Ukrainian crisis will also largely determine qualitative changes in the dialogue between Israel and Russia, Dolgov went on to say.
"When Netanyahu's party was in power, relations between Russia and Israel were quite conducive, one might even say partner-like. Then, this changed, and the latest Israeli leadership even supported the Ukrainian regime. <...> I do not think there can be any radical change in Israel's course internationally and with respect to Russia," he stressed.
"But nevertheless some kind of warming, some kind of rapprochement between Israel and Russia is quite possible, since we know about common interests and personal relations between our president [Vladimir Putin] and [Benjamin] Netanyahu. But everything depends on the concrete situation and the way it develops in the Ukrainian crisis," Dolgov noted.
Regional factor
The expert drew attention to the fact that the new coalition government formed by right-wing forces could mean a hardening of Israel’s stance on the Palestinian issue for the regional agenda. "The right-wing forces prefer a tougher approach to the problem. All the more since the US supports the Israeli position. If we talk about the general situation in the Middle East, this will not entail any such radical changes, let alone any danger of a military conflict. But nevertheless, with regard to the Palestinian problem, the Israeli position will tighten in case the right-wing forces come to power," he summed up.