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Israel arming of Georgia sours Russian relations Weapon sales could lead to an increase in aid to Israel’s enemies, says Christopher Walker  Now that the fog of war in the turbulent Caucasus region is beginning to lift, the full extent of Israel's involvement in the af fairs of Georgia, whose 30-year-old defence minister , Davit Kezerashvili, is himself a Hebrew-speaking former Israeli, is beginning to become clear. As a result, there are serious implications for the future of Middle East geopolitics. There is a danger that Russia will lift any restraint on the sale of state-of-the-art S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems to Syria and Iran and play an even tougher part in sabotaging diplomatic efforts to halt Tehran's alleged nuclear weapons programme. And for Tzipi Livni, or whoever emerges as the new Israeli prime minister to replace the disgraced Ehud Olmert, the issue of Israel's continued links with Georgia is one of the most sensitive on the  political agenda. The list of Israeli personnel involved in either supplying arms to Georgia or training elite Georgian military units (while at the same time trying to guarantee Israeli take-off rights from two south Georgian airfields - to be used in any attack against Iran's nuclear network) speaks volumes for the extent of Israeli involvement in a country to which it feels close psychological attachment. Kezerashvili's ties to Israel (he made aliya with his grandmother and attended Kugel High School in the town of Holon, near Tel Aviv) have been well known since his father told the biggest-selling Tel Aviv daily, Y ediot Ahronot , a year ago: "He has a lot of friends to this day in Israel, and he has maintained good relations with them." More recently, his pro-Israeli sympathies have been fortified by President Mikhail Saakashvili's (left, with Ehud Olmert) typically over-the-top description of his country's role in the face of Russian aggression as the "Israel of the Caucasus", and backed up inside the Georgian government  by his fellow cabine t member, T emur Y akobashvili, the Georgia’s Mikhail Saakashvili describes his country as the ‘Israel of the Caucasus’ minister of reintegration. Another Hebrew-speaking Jew, Yakobashvili told Israel's Army radio: "The Israelis ought to be  proud of the fact that Georgian soldiers received Israeli education and training and are fighting like I don't know what."

Israel Arming of Georgia

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Israel arming of Georgia sours Russian

relations

Weapon sales could lead to an increase in aid to Israel’s

enemies, says Christopher Walker

 Now that the fog of war in the turbulent Caucasus region is beginning to lift, the full extent of Israel's involvement in the affairs of Georgia, whose 30-year-old defence minister, DavitKezerashvili, is himself a Hebrew-speaking former Israeli, is beginning to become clear.

As a result, there are serious implications for the future of Middle East geopolitics. There is adanger that Russia will lift any restraint on the sale of state-of-the-art S-300 anti-aircraft missilesystems to Syria and Iran and play an even tougher part in sabotaging diplomatic efforts to halt

Tehran's alleged nuclear weapons programme.

And for Tzipi Livni, or whoever emerges as the new Israeli prime minister to replace the disgracedEhud Olmert, the issue of Israel's continued links with Georgia is one of the most sensitive on the

 political agenda.

The list of Israeli personnel involved in either supplying arms to Georgia or training elite Georgianmilitary units (while at the same time trying to guarantee Israeli take-off rights from two southGeorgian airfields - to be used in any attack against Iran's nuclear network) speaks volumes for theextent of Israeli involvement in a country to which it feels close psychological attachment.

Kezerashvili's ties to Israel (he made aliya with his grandmother and attended Kugel High School in

the town of Holon, near Tel Aviv) have been well known since his father told the biggest-selling TelAviv daily, Yediot Ahronot , a year ago: "He has a lot of friends to this day in Israel, and he hasmaintained good relations with them."

More recently, his pro-Israeli sympathies have been fortified by President Mikhail Saakashvili's(left, with Ehud Olmert) typically over-the-top description of his country's role in the face of Russian aggression as the "Israel of the Caucasus", and backed up inside the Georgian government

 by his fellow cabinet member, Temur Yakobashvili, the

Georgia’s Mikhail Saakashvili describes his country as the ‘Israel of the Caucasus’ 

minister of reintegration.

Another Hebrew-speaking Jew, Yakobashvili told Israel's Army radio: "The Israelis ought to be proud of the fact that Georgian soldiers received Israeli education and training and are fighting likeI don't know what."

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On the Israeli side, military sales to Georgia stretching back to the early days of 2000 have totalledaround $200m. According to sources in Jerusalem, they are understood to have included powerfulLynx mobile rocket systems, night-vision equipment, mortar shells, and rockets. In addition, Su-25ground-attack fighters were upgraded and 18 Sky-Lark mini-drones and five Hermes unmannedaerial vehicles supplied.

However, aware of the sensitivity in Moscow of such sales, the Israeli government put its foot down

at one deal said to have involved 200 Israeli-built Merkava tanks, known in Israel as the 'mothers'tank' because of the unparalleled protection it offers its crews.

To those familiar with the men in senior positions inside the large Israeli

‘Israelis ought to be proud that Georgian soldiers received Israeli training and are fighting like I 

don’t know what’ industrial-military complex, the roll-call of those on the ground inside Georgia in the months beforethe August fighting broke out was impressive.

It included former police minister and Tel Aviv mayor Ronnie Milo (once a personal aide to Yitzhak Shamir, a top Mossad operative before becoming a Likud Prime Minister), and his brother Shlomo,an ex-Israel Air Force pilot and former director-general of Israel's biggest arms company, IsraelMilitary Industries.

In Tbilisi, both men represented the Israeli defence electronics firm, Elbit Systems.

When questioned by Israeli journalists, Ronnie Milo, once seen as a potential young meteor insidethe right-wing Likud establishment, refused to comment on the performance of the arms he sold.

Instead he again reflected the depth of the link between Tel Aviv and Tbilisi. "The phenomenon of asmall country standing up to Russian might is not their invention," he stressed. "We faced thatsituation for many years, and no one wanted to help us

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 because they were afraid of the Russians and the Arabs."

The two leading Israelis helping train elite units of the Georgian army with a squad of about 100Israeli 'special advisers' were Reserve Major General Yisrael Ziv, 61, who served with distinction ascommander of the paratroopers' elite reconnaissance unit during the First Lebanon War,euphemistically named by the Israeli government 'Operation Peace for Galilee', in 1982. He went onto serve in the occupied Gaza Strip and is now the CEO of a security consulting firm.

Better known to the outside world - and more controversial - was Reserve Brigadier General GalHirsch, who resigned from the Israeli army in the wake of official criticism of his dismal

 performance during the Second Lebanon War in 2006 as commander of the Galilee Division.

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Hirsch is one of the owners of the security consulting firm Defensive Shield. His presence trainingthe Georgian Special Forces earned him a memorably mocking riposte from Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah in

The Israelis put their foot down at selling Georgia 200 Merkava tanks for fear of upsetting RussiaLebanon, who taunted: "Gal Hirsch, who was defeated in Lebanon, went to Georgia and they toolost because of him. Relying on Israeli experts and weapons, Georgia learnt why the Israeli generalsfailed. What happened in Georgia is a message to all those the Americans are seeking to entangle indangerous adventures."

Allowing for the hyperbole of such an observation from the Shia leader, it was nevertheless a fair reflection of the interconnection between different conflicts. It probably also helps explain why, atleast overtly, the Israeli Foreign Ministry is now anxiously trying to play down stories of Israel'smilitary role in Georgia.

One official at the Foreign Ministry explained: "Israel needs to be very careful and sensitive thesedays. The Russians are selling many arms to Iran and Syria and there is no need to offer them anexcuse to sell even more advanced weapons."

FIRST POSTED SEPTEMBER 24, 2008