Because of the common threat of terrorism, Russia and Israel have been thrown together in a most unexpected alliance.
Russian experience
The September 3, 2004, terror attack on an elementary school in the Beslan region of Russia has been compared to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon. As reported in the Sept. 11, 2004, Economist: “The terrorists in Beslan deliberately went for the most innocent and defenseless targets; they timed their attack, on the first day of the school year, to catch the maximum number; they tortured their small captives by refusing them all food and water; and when one of the explosives they had rigged in the school gymnasium went off, apparently by accident, they shot fleeing hostages in the back before blowing the building apart. If this were war, such bestial, inhuman acts would richly deserve the name of war crimes.”
The result of the terrorism is that Russians feel “war had been declared on them.” Indeed, the slaughter of 500 in a small town wrought carnage of proportions usually seen only in wartime. Even wars are rarely this cruel. Even wars have rules one of which is to avoid harming civilians where possible, and special care is taken to protect children.
Shortly before the school terrorism, two Russian airliners were commandeered and blown up. The air piracy killed 90 people and once again renewed fears that terrorists can strike from anywhere and at any time. The air terrorism brought to Russia renewed calls for air safety and longer lineups have resulted for security clearance during airline boarding.
Agreement
In order to better combat the terrorists, Russia turned to Israel. The purpose of the cooperation between the two nations was for Russia to learn and understand how Israel has been dealing with a terrorist organization at their doorpost for several decades. As reported by Reuters, September 7: “Russia and Israel agreed yesterday to co-operate in the battle against international terrorism, as millions of Russians observed a day of mourning and President Vladimir Putin faced mounting criticism over the handling of the Beslan school shootout. Just days after the siege ended in a bloodbath, Israel and Russia signed a memorandum pledging to encourage `the development of broad bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation’ in fighting international terrorism, officials said in Jerusalem, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived late Sunday. ‘The terrorism that struck in Russia is exactly the same kind of terrorism that strikes us,’ said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who proposed expanded intelligence co-ordination in a telephone call to Putin the night before.”
The agreement with Israel is somewhat vague with details to be worked out at a later date. However, Lavrov indicated he is impressed with the way Israeli intelligence has a long track record of monitoring Palestinian militants both overseas and in areas occupied by the Jewish state in the 1967 war. In addition, Israel offered Russia a wide range of assistance, from medical aid for children suffering post-traumatic stress disorder, to sending medical teams to the area, to dispatching counter terrorism advisers and upgrading intelligence cooperation.
Israel seeks Russian help in UN
It was during the visit that Israel pressed Russia for help. The Jerusalem Post reported September 7: “In their 90-minute meeting in Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom pointed out that in the last 21 UN votes relating to Israel, Russia voted against Israel 17 times and abstained on four occasions. Shalom, at a joint press conference with Lavrov after their meeting, said that Israel is looking toward the Russian UN delegation ‘to oppose the ongoing Palestinian campaign against Israel and to reject their anti-Israeli initiatives, designed to hurt Israel and divert attention from their own obligations.’ It is clear that the solutions to the Palestinian issue lie in Ramallah and Gaza, not in New York or The Hague.”
Further, Shalom said he expected Russia not to support a Palestinian resolution at the United Nations on the “fence” issue. The Palestinian-backed resolution which calls for sanctions against Israel for the construction of the barrier was to be voted on by the UN in October. (The vote was postponed). Shalom noted to Russia that it had voted against Israel on this issue when it was brought to the General Assembly in July and that he desired to see Russia change course during future votes.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One