Can Israel digest Putin's grand bargain?

FREE THOUGHT PROJECT – Israel has now had a taste of President Putin’s ‘stick’: Your air superiority in the North has just been punctured by the Syrian air defenses. You, Israel, will lose it completely were our Russian S400s air defenses to be enabled: ‘Think it over’ (…)

The message is clear: Israel gets Russia’s limited security guarantees, but loses its freedom of action. Without air domination (which Russia already has seized), the assumed superiority over its neighboring Arab states – which Israel long since has folded into its collective psyche – will see Israel’s wings clipped (…)

Can such a bargain be digested culturally in Israel? There is, of course, a further option of running to Washington, in order to try to co-opt America into adopting the eviction of Iran from Syria – but our guess is that Putin has already quietly squared Trump with his plan beforehand. Who knows? CONTINUE READING