Putin paid a visit to Israel as part of his Middle East tour. The stay was one day, but very indicative. I was already impressed by the fact that Vladimir Vladimirovich came to a country that US President Barack Obama had repeatedly refused to visit.
Putin arrived in Israel an hour and a half late. However, this did not darken the favorable atmosphere of the meeting. The host country, despite its suspicious attitude towards Russia, gave the president of this country a royal reception. Even Putin's desire to go on a night excursion, which had not been previously agreed upon, was even satisfied.
But the main thing was that the arrival of Vladimir Vladimirovich coincided with the aggravation of the situation on the border with Egypt, associated with the results of elections in this country.
During his visit, Putin diplomatically tried to avoid discussing the problems of concern to Israelis, incl. Iranian nuclear program. Several times Vladimir Vladimirovich did not specifically respond to the requests of the leaders of Israel not to give nuclear to their neighbors. However, he left a favorable impression of himself and strengthened himself in the image of a peacemaker.
At the opening ceremony of the Red Army Victory Memorial in Netanya, with which Putin began his program of stay in Israel, President Shimon Peres spoke about the peacekeeping mission of the President of Russia. To which Putin philosophically remarked that the world is still fragile. However, he later told reporters that they talked in detail about the Iranian nuclear program.
In the evening, a reception was held in honor of the Russian president. Shimon Peres openly announced that Iran was threatening to destroy Israel, and said he knew that Russia did not approve of Iran's nuclear arsenal. In response, Putin thanked the Israelis for the invitation to come and promised to ensure peace and tranquility in the Middle East.
The reception that Putin received was significantly better than that given to the American president. In King David Jerulisalem, where Vladimir Vladimirovich stayed, about 300 rooms were rented. The hotel did not accept other guests. Security measures were taken unprecedented - even high-ranking guests were checked. The Russian president was accompanied by 400 people.
After his arrival in Jerusalem, Putin expressed a desire to visit the Old City. At night he was taken to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Vladimir Vladimirovich also visited Kuvuklia, climbed Golgotha, went down to the cave in which they found the Crucifixion, and then went to the Wailing Wall.
However, despite the general friendly attitude of the Israelis, not everyone was happy with the arrival of the Russian president. Police stopped a group of 50 demonstrators on their way to a memorial in Netanya. Demonstrations by left-wing radicals and those advocating permission to hold gay pride parades in Russia were also not widely publicized.
