Netanyahu thanks Putin for ‘touching humanitarian gesture,’ says vehicle’s return to Israel will comfort families of missing soldiers
ed note–Before the all-too-predictable panic sweeps through the ranks at what appears to be a spirit of mutual affection between Putin and Netanyahu, we should call to mind that infamous scene from the Godfather II, when Senator Pat Geary speaks glowingly of Michael Corleone in front of the assembled crowd, congratulating him on his son’s 1st Communion and rousing the audience to give him a thundering round of applause for his generosity in writing a ‘magnificent endowment’ to the state of Nevada. The next scene after all the handshakes, hugs, kisses, smiles, etc, is a complete reversal, to wit–
There is the face that is worn when the cameras and mic are on and then there is the ‘business’ that is discussed behind closed doors to which only the initiated few are privy.
Furthermore, this ‘gesture’ on the part of Russia in returning an Israeli tank that was captured in Syria also needs to be interpreted for what it is–a condescending, demeaning slap in the face to Israel, rubbing salt into her wound and reminding her that she is not the undefeatable force she imagines herself being, as well as underscoring that just as Russia was with Syria in 1982, providing her with the logistics and support that resulted in the defeat of Israeli troops then, that Russia is with Syria today and will not sit by and allow the Jews to accomplish what they mean to accomplish with the fall of Assad and his government.
Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday formally received on Israel’s behalf an IDF Magach-3 tank captured by Syria in the 1982 First Lebanon War, which has been housed in a Russian museum for several decades.
The return of the tank, Netanyahu said in Moscow, would be of some comfort to the families of three IDF soldiers who manned it and who have been missing since its capture 34 years ago.
The tank was seized during the June 11, 1982 battle of Sultan Yacoub, considered one of Israel’s worst failures in the war, in which 30 IDF soldiers were killed and another three, who were assigned to the Magach-3, disappeared.
In the ceremony at the Moscow tank museum, Netanyahu thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for the “warm humanitarian gesture,” and vowed Israel would not rest until it located the three soldiers, Zvi Feldman, Yehuda Katz and Zachary Baumel.
Syria handed the tank over to its then-ally, the former Soviet Union, so Moscow could use it to study Israeli tank construction. It has been housed at a museum some 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Moscow ever since.
“This is an emotional moment for me and for all the citizens of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “We mark 25 years since the renewal of diplomatic relations… and our deep connection is an expression of our shared, continuous history of struggle and untold suffering.”
He continued: “Anyone who has fought in battle knows the importance of the principle that we adhere to — in battle, you do not leave a comrade behind. For 34 years, we have searched for our warriors in the knowledge we will not rest until we bring them to Israel for burial. Throughout those 34 years, the Katz, Feldman and Baumel families have had no grave to visit, but now they will have this tank. A remnant of Sultan Yacoub that they can visit and also touch — and through it remember their sons.
“We will continue to search for them as we still do for Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul [IDF soldiers missing since they fell in the 2014 war with Hamas]. I would like to take this opportunity to thank President Putin profusely for this touching humanitarian gesture, and thank him first and foremost also on behalf of the families,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister also paid tribute to the cooperation between the two nations throughout the process of securing the tank’s return.
“I think this event signifies deep emotional connection between us, and the connection between nations that are from time to time compelled to fight for freedom,” he said.
“Thank you so much for your cooperation with the IDF officers who are here. I thank you, the IDF officers, for the excellent work you have done and I’m sure this tank [placed] in Latrun [the official memorial for fallen Armored Corps troops] will also be symbol of heroism of our soldiers and also of the friendship and closeness between us.”
The ceremony came at the close of the prime minister’s two-day visit to Moscow, where he and Putin held their fourth round of talks in less than a year. The content of those talks, however, was the subject of some controversy Wednesday, when Netanyahu’s office denied a claim by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that he had expressed support for the Arab Peace Initiative on ending the Middle East conflict.
