ANALYSIS: Israel’s ties with the West strained by its fear of Putin in Syria

As Israel continues its strategic alliance with Russia while maintaining its relationship with the United States, it finds itself stuck between a rock and a hardpoint.

With growing conflicts of interest and changing attitudes towards Russia since its invasion of Ukraine, Israel has tried to depict itself as an honest broker between Moscow and Kyiv, claiming that it has special interests and unique needs.

Over the weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and Putin. 

But it was a charade, and Bennett knew very well that there was no need for him to be the go-between since Putin is not interested in any compromise solution to end the war. 

More from Middle East Eye’s Yossi Melman analysis on the relationship between Russia and Israel here: Russia-Ukraine war: Israel’s ties with the West strained by its fear of Putin in Syria