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
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”.
Kazakhstan After the Double Shock of 2022: Political, Economic and Military Consequences
The year 2022 represented a dual shock for Kazakhstan. In January, the country faced its most severe political crisis since independence, followed in February by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which cast uncertainty over the borders of post-Soviet states. These consecutive crises profoundly shaped Kazakhstan’s domestic and foreign policy.
How the Russian Army Changed its Concept of War, 1993-2022
The traditional and high-intensity war that has occurred in Ukraine since Russia decided to invade raises a key issue: did post-soviet Russian strategic thought really prepare Russia for waging this war?
Russia's Nuclear Deterrence Put to the Test by the War in Ukraine
From the outset of its “special military operation” (SVO) against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia, which possesses one of the world’s largest nuclear arsenals, has adopted aggressive deterrence measures and a resolutely menacing rhetorical stance.