It is not important, it does not matter and it is not interesting why Foreign Minister Eli Cohen decided to have a parallel conversation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The very fact that he has not yet warmed his throne as foreign minister, and his name is in the headlines in connection with and connection to Russia, is proof that he erred, stumbled and got involved in a serious mistake. Cohen did not start his role on the left foot for a reason. He took office on crutches – shaky crutches politically, diplomatically and, worst of all, morally.
For a Foreign Minister of the State of Israel, the State of the Jews, to begin his tenure with a telephone conversation with the Foreign Minister of a criminal state that commits genocide, this is a step that raises concerns about the minister’s intelligence and level of sobriety. For someone who holds such a high and central position in the new government, on the second day of his term, to receive such a direct and harsh rebuke from a senior American senator, Lindsey Graham, known as an old friend of Israel, loyal and dedicated – this fact alone revealed the new minister as someone who was not at all unprepared and unworthy of the position .
The reports according to which the minister informed the American foreign minister in Lincoln in advance of his intention to talk with Lavrov, only reinforce the depth of the lack of political experience and the lack of diplomatic knowledge that Eli Cohen brought with him to head the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. What did he think the American official would say to him? Please don’t call Lavrov? Eli Cohen does not begin to understand the essence and nature of relations between foreign ministers especially of friendly countries. In my estimation, it is not at all certain that Eli Cohen understood what Blinken told him. One can only hope that he did understand and internalize what Senator Lindsey Graham told him. “I hope Mr. Cohen understands that when he talks to Lavrov, he is talking to a representative of a war criminal regime that commits war crimes on an industrial scale every day.”
Eli Cohen is not the first Israeli official who, sorry, has sinned in his attitude and attitude towards Russia. Russia and Vladimir Putin’s control are like a predatory bacteria in the history of relations between Israel and Russia. Benjamin Netanyahu, in his years as Prime Minister, invested enormous efforts in strengthening and cultivating friendly and close relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
For Netanyahu these efforts were an obsession. He made the pilgrimage to the Kremlin for filmed meetings with Putin countless times. All this at a time when Putin was and was considered an outcast in the international arena and not a single Western head of state dared to visit Moscow. Former Chief of Staff Gabriel “Gabi” Ashkenazi was foreign minister for a few months. The only city he visited was Moscow. Naftali Bennett began his tenure as Prime Minister of the Transitional Government with an emergency visit (on Saturday) to Moscow in an effort to influence Putin not to invade Ukraine. A move that was ridiculous at the time and made Bennett laugh .
Last week the President of Russia called Netanyahu and congratulated him on the formation of the new government. In the same week, Russia voted against Israel in the UN General Assembly and joined the countries that supported the Palestinian initiative to appeal to the Hague Tribunal. Russia’s voting pattern was not a novelty. I cannot remember a single time that Russia did not join the votes against Israel at the UN. As you know, Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council and holds the right of veto. It has not used or exploited the right of veto even once to thwart an initiative against Israel in the Security Council. Not even once!
In recent years, the US has used its right of veto in the Council to thwart resolution proposals against Israel 40 times. Russia is Israel’s enemy. A fact that the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem has a hard time absorbing and internalizing.
If further proof of this is needed, it is the fact that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been investing enormous efforts in recent months in tightening, nurturing and strengthening relations between Russia and Iran. These relations have already received the definition “military alliance” between Russia and Iran in the international arena. In official Jerusalem they probably forgot or prefer not to remember that the regime in Iran has an official written and documented ambition to wipe out Israel.
They are talking about rotation in the position of foreign minister. But the intention is rotation after at least a year in the position. God will protect.