Israel's Immigrant Parties: An Inefficient Russia Lobby
Since 2009 the influence of immigrant party Israel Beiteinu on foreign and security policy in Israel has grown. The party won 15 seats in the 2009 parliamentary elections and its leader, Avigdor Lieberman, became the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
. Politicians with Russian origins have a certain impact on the security and foreign policy agenda but their influence is limited and their immigrant origin constitutes an obstacle. They are more successful in pressing forward domestic policies related to their constituency than pushing Russia as a priority for Israeli diplomacy. The Kremlin partially supports the initiatives of Israeli immigrant politicians, but Moscow realizes the limits of their influence. The foreign policy of Israel is only marginally shaped by Lieberman and immigrant politicians and remains highly dependent on the agenda advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under the influence of the US.
Dr. Olena Bagno is a Neubauer Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Tel-Aviv, and a prospective postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University (2011). She writes on Russian foreign policy in the Middle East, and on issues related to international migration and political integration of minorities.
Ambassador Zvi Magen is a Research Fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Tel-Aviv, where he writes on Russia's foreign policy in the Middle East. Prior to joining INSS, he served in Israel's Foreign Service, notably as Israel's Ambassador to Ukraine and to Russia.
Russie.Nei.Visions is an electronic collection of policy papers published in French, English and Russian by the Russia/NIS Center, Ifri.
Download the full analysis
This page contains only a summary of our work. If you would like to have access to all the information from our research on the subject, you can download the full version in PDF format.
Israel's Immigrant Parties: An Inefficient Russia Lobby
Author(s)
Related centers and programs
Discover our other research centers and programs
Russia/Eurasia Center
Founded in 2005 within Ifri, the Russia/Eurasia Center conducts research and organizes debates on Russia, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus. Its goal is to understand and anticipate the evolution of this complex and rapidly changing geographical area in order to enrich public discourse in France and Europe and to assist in strategic, political, and economic decision-making.
Find out more
Discover all our analyses
Between Russia and Europe, between War and Peace: What is at Stake in Armenia’s Upcoming Elections?
Armenia’s June 7, 2026, parliamentary election is shaping up less as a routine vote than as a referendum on Nikol Pashinyan’s post-2020 course, which includes peace with neighbors, reduced dependence on Russia, and a more explicit European orientation. The ruling Civil Contract party is still the frontrunner, but its position is fragile, as the campaign is being fought in a highly polarized environment shaped by the trauma of defeat in the war against Azerbaijan, the displacement of Karabakh Armenians, and the massive election interference from Russia.
Russia, the Palestinians and Gaza: Adjustments after October 7th
The Soviet Union (USSR), and subsequently the Russian Federation as its internationally recognized legal successor, has consistently sought to play a visible role in efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Deathonomics: The Social, Political, and Economic Costs of War in Russia
The report attempts to outline and examine a truly new phenomenon in Russian society, dubbed “deathonomics”—the making of a mercenary army against the backdrop of the Kremlin’s war in Ukraine, eventually replacing both the Soviet (conscript) and early new Russian (contract) armies. It notes that, by the end of 2023, this trend had turned the military service into one of the highest-paying professions in the country, something not seen in Russia on such a scale since the late 17th century.
Russia's Asia Strategy: Bolstering the Eagle's Eastern Wing
Among Russia’s strategic priorities, Asia traditionally played a secondary role compared to the West. In the mid-1990s, then Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov initiated a rapprochement with China and India. Then, in 2014, deteriorating relations between Russia and the West prompted Moscow to begin its “great pivot to the East”.