(Yediot Ahronot-Hebrew-23 Oct 2015) Smadar Perry - It was supposed to have been an unprecedented visit to Israel by former Syrian generals who had defected during the civil war and who support the rebels. They had agreed to come to Jerusalem to participate in a conference sponsored by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. But the visit was cancelled at the last minute due to fears of harming Israel's relations with Russia, which supports President Assad. "Israel must remain neutral. As long as Assad is president, Israel will take no side in the civil war," Israeli observers explained. Thus, Israeli security officials refused to allow members of the Syrian opposition to enter Israel. "Their appearance in Israel could have been seen as an unnecessary provocation to President Putin and harm the understandings reached during Prime Minister Netanyahu's recent visit to Moscow," a senior official emphasized.
2015-10-23 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive