More Than a Visit

In the 20 years after Moscow severed diplomatic ties with Jerusalem, no Soviet diplomat set foot in Israel. Then, out of the blue, Moscow sent an eight-man delegation to Jerusalem to settle disputes over Russian Orthodox Church properties and to oversee Soviet citizens in Israel, insisting that their mission was entirely apolitical. Soviet pretense aside, Washington must treat the Soviet visit as very political and very significant.

New signs that Moscow is serious about politicking with Jerusalem are evident in the Kremlin’s demand (in Hebrew, over Radio Moscow) that Israel abandon its plans to build a new missile capable of reaching distant Arab capitals and Soviet territory as well. So, while one visit does not mean the immediate repair of formal diplomatic ties between Moscow and Jerusalem, Moscow’s foreign-policy goals in the Middle East seem to revolve around a series of moves aimed at the gradual normalization of relations. This trip is the first step--one that Moscow obviously hopes will lead to an augmented role in Middle Eastern politics and an eventual participation in an international Middle Eastern peace conference. Ultimately the Soviet trip validates and strengthens Israel’s position as the key to a Soviet presence in the Middle East.

To Soviet Jews and Soviet emigres in Israel, Moscow’s delegation brings hope for a surge in Soviet-Jewish emigration. Over the protests of American Jews, the Soviets have begun to route Soviet Jews to Israel via Romania, effectively sidestepping Vienna--a traditional point of departure for the United States. And, newly aware of the power of political patronage, the Soviet delegation has extended a hand to Israel’s Soviet emigre community in the form of visa applications to visit family members in the Soviet Union.

To the United States, Moscow’s initiative to Israel signals the advent of a potential new player in the Middle Eastern peace process. For now, potential remains the proper word to describe the Soviet presence in the Middle East. But Washington must carefully monitor this visit: Soviet international behavior points to the eventual exploitation of this potential.