Netanyahu is cozying up to the Kremlin chief at a time when relations between Russia and the West are at one of their lowest points since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Despite Israel being the largest recipient of US foreign aid - more than $3 billion (2.65 billion euros) per year, much of it military - Netanyahu appears to have few qualms with engaging a country currently facing US and EU sanctions for Moscow's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and its role in the continuing separatist movement in eastern Ukraine. [...]
Both Putin and Netanyahu figure to gain from this new relationship. The difference is that while the boss of the Kremlin has virtually nothing to lose, the same cannot be said of his Israeli counterpart. Mekelberg says the prime minister is playing with fire.
"The risk for Netanyahu is compromising relations with the United States. He risks crossing the line," Mekelberg said. "At the end of the day the US supports Israel militarily, economically and politically in a way that Russia will never do."
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