Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet in the near future, when the two leaders had their first phone call on Monday since the new government was sworn in last month. No date has been set for such a meeting.

Bennett and Putin “have agreed to meet soon,” the prime minister’s office said after the call.

At his faction meeting in the Knesset a few hours later, Bennett boasted of having “strengthened Israel’s foreign relations and national security by having a good conversation with Putin.”

According to the Kremlin, Putin wished Bennett “every success” and “the two leaders expressed their mutual intention to develop the full scope of friendly relations between Russia and Israel and agreed to maintain new contacts.”

Jerusalem and the Kremlin disagree on the Iran deal, which Putin supports and Bennett disagrees on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But the same was true for Netanyahu and Putin. Israeli-Russian relations have been particularly important with regard to Syria, where a deconfliction agreement exists to ensure that there is no exchange of fire during Israeli airstrikes against Iranian positions.

Russia also helped Israel search for the remains of missing soldiers in Syria, helping Israel in 2019 to recover the body of IDF soldier Sgt. Zachary Baumel, missing since 1982. The appeal also comes as Israel presses the international community to help ensure Hamas returns the remains of two soldiers killed in the 2014 Gaza war and releases two Israeli citizens whom he holds in captivity.

POUTINE AND BENNETT “discussed several security and diplomatic issues,” the Prime Minister’s office said. Bennett thanked Putin “for the role his country is playing in maintaining regional stability and for helping with the issue of captives and the missing,” he said.

“The two also discussed the role of the Russian aliya [Jewish immigration] in Israel and the great importance that [Bennett] sees it as a bridge between the two countries, ”the office explained.

The prime minister also “expressed his appreciation for the historic bond between the Russian and Jewish peoples,” he added.

The Kremlin was careful to note that Bennett made the call, explaining that he “focused on topical issues of bilateral cooperation in the political, commercial and economic and humanitarian fields.”

The two leaders also discussed the COVID-19 pandemic, the Kremlin said.

“Particular attention was paid to the preservation of the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War, preventing any attempt to review its outcome, to glorify Nazism, to deny the Holocaust and the decisive contribution of the Red Army to victory. He added, referring to the WWII protracted conflict between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Bennett also contacted Israel’s key ally, the United States, with a special message for the Independence Day celebration on July 4.

Bennett stressed the importance of bipartisan American support for Israel, stressing his own special relationship with the United States.

“I want to thank all of our friends in the United States on both sides of the aisle for your unwavering support, both in times of peace but also in times of tension in our region,” Bennett said in a tweet in English.

NETANYAHU, who had studied and worked in the United States, often praised the importance of this experience in promoting US-Israel relations.

Bennett pointed out on Sunday how his life story, as a child of American parents, illustrated US-Israel ties.

“America holds a special place in my heart,” Bennett said. “My parents were born in California and continued with their lives here in Israel. “

“I, too, enjoyed living and working in New York for part of my adult life. My story is just one example of so many Israelis and Americans whose lives are linked by family matters and social ties that underpin the special relationship between our two countries, ”said Bennett.

The new government he is leading is uniquely positioned to work well with the United States, the prime minister said.

“In Israel, we recently formed a new government that represents the desire of the Israeli people for political stability,” he said.

“It is also the most diverse government Israel has ever had, bringing together people from all factions into a united coalition,” Bennett added.

“This new government deeply values ​​our relationship with the American people. We are attached to a spirit of strength and cooperation, ”he explained. “We are going to work very well together. “

“As we reflect on the past, we also look to the future: a common future of an even deeper friendship between our two nations, the United States of America and Israel, rooted in our shared values ​​of liberty, liberty. and democracy. “