As Fighting Rages In The Caucasus, Israel Playing Down Georgia Ties

[Purveyor]

TEL AVIV (JTA) -- As Russian and Georgian forces battle over South Ossetia, Israel finds itself on the defensive.

Though a favored armed supplier for the former Soviet republic, the Jewish state now appears to be at pains to play down these ties rather than risk a crisis with Moscow.

It is more than just sound diplomacy.

With Russia widely expected to supply Tehran with advanced anti-aircraft missiles that could fend off a pre-emptive strike on Iranian nuclear sites, Israel has a vested interest in not appearing to be in Georgia's corner and losing whatever lobbying power it has in Moscow.

With troops, tanks and warplanes clashing in the Caucasus over the weekend in the worst armed face-off Europe has seen in decades, the Russian media queried where their Georgian foes had acquired weapons and tactical wherewithal.

Israel's name came up.

The link is well known. Aside from Israel's prowess in military matters, it enjoys a personal rapport with a number of senior colleagues to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, who has been trying to align his country with the West.

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JTA: http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/article/20080810IsraelGeorgia08102008.html

[still_one]

1. so what. There are not many countries who do not do arm sales today

However, if you are proposing total disarmlement for ALL countries, and arm sales stopping for ALL countries, I am right with you

[TomInTib]

2. This is getting more curious by the hour.

I read where the US has had 1,000 troops in Georgia since mid-July.

[bemildred]

3. Good idea that.

A bit too late, but still the right thing.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Shame that Georgia has been playing the ties up, then

From Haaretz, via DU: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3771061

Jewish Georgian official: Our army has IDF training to thank

Jewish Georgian Minister Temur Yakobshvili on Sunday praised the Israel Defense Forces for its role in training Georgian troops and said Israel should be proud of its military might, in an interview with Army Radio.

"Israel should be proud of its military which trained Georgian soldiers," Yakobashvili told Army Radio in Hebrew, referring to a private Israeli group Georgia had hired.

Yakobashvili, Georgia's minister of reintegration, added that this training provided Georgia with the know-how needed to defend itself against Russian forces in the clashes which erupted last last week in the separatist region of South Ossetia.

Yakobashvili said that a small group of Georgian soldiers had able to wipe out an entire Russian military division due to this training.

[jimshoes]

5. Through all this, do you suppose the west kinda

figured that Russia would just roll over and let Georgia take these areas unchallenged? They guessed wrong it would seem.