Sharon: U.S. cleared latest trip to Russia
By Yerah Tal, Ha'aretz Correspondent and Itim
Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon returned from a trip to Washington and
Moscow yesterday, emerging from his plane to face a flurry of
questions from reporters and telling them that "contrary to published
reports" his Russia trip was coordinated in advance with the U.S.
State Department.
Meanwhile, Israel's warming ties with Russia drew criticism from a
cabinet member for the first time yesterday. In an interview with
Ha'aretz, Tourism Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Katsav
said, "It is altogether uncertain that Russian involvement [in local
affairs] will always be to our benefit."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said yesterday he expects
Russian anti-Semitism and a growing Israeli economy to drive a
million Jews to emigrate to Israel in the near future. Speaking to
students at the Rene Cassin high school in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said
the central lesson of the Holocaust is the Jewish people's need for a
strong, independent nation.
Sharon also mentioned the one million figure at his press conference,
and said he had issued calls for emigration to Israel during his visit in
Russia.
Katsav said Israel should employ whatever means it can in pressing
Russia to sever all military and non-conventional cooperation with
Iran � including, first and foremost, calling for support from
Washington. He said that Israel's newly-closer ties with Russia had
not yet had any discernible effect on Moscow's relations with Tehran.
[...]
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