Net and Abbas
© jewishcurrents.orgIsraeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
President Putin is pushing to host peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in the latest sign of his ambition for Russia to replace the United States as chief power broker in the Middle East. Mr Putin made his overture to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt, who said that it would involve a meeting at the Kremlin between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ­Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas.

"Putin has told me that he is ready to receive Abbas and ­Netanyahu in Moscow to carry out direct talks to find a solution," Mr Sisi told the state-owned newspaper Al Ahram. "I see that the conviction of the importance of peace is rising among the Israeli side, and the conviction about finding an exit to the issue is a positive sign." On Tuesday Israel indicated it was open to the invitation.

Mr Netanyahu was ready "anywhere, any time, for direct peace talks with no preconditions," his spokesman said. "Unfortunately, President Abbas continues to say no and continues to present preconditions for such a meeting."

The move came after efforts by European officials to host a similar meeting in Paris failed. In May France's President Francois Hollande had hoped to reopen talks, which broke down in 2014, but no date had been set.

Russia has become increasingly assertive in the Middle East since entering the Syrian conflict 11 months ago. It has set up an air base in Syria, flown bombing missions from an Iranian base and fired cruise missiles from a submarine in the Mediterranean. Mr Putin, an ally of dictator Bashar al-Assad, has also positioned himself as crucial to any deal to end the five-year conflict in Syria. Critics of US President ­Barack Obama say Mr Putin has moved to fill a vacuum left by Washington's reluctance to get immersed in another war after Iraq and Afghanistan.

Historically, Russia has taken a keen interest in the Israel-­Palestine crisis, intermittently backing both sides and becoming part of the Middle East Quartet. In 1988 the Soviet Union was one of the first countries to ­recognise the state of Palestine. Mr Abbas has often travelled to Moscow for talks and Mr ­Netanyahu, frozen out by Mr Obama, visited Mr Putin in ­Moscow in June — their fourth meeting in less than a year.

Mr Putin first tabled the idea of a Moscow peace conference in 2005. His plan was fiercely ­rejected by the Israelis and Americans. However, as relations ­between Tel Aviv and Washington have cooled over the Iranian nuclear deal, Moscow is looking to restart the idea. A peace summit would boost Mr Putin's image as a growing force in the Middle East at the expense of US influence.

Mikhail Bogdanov, the ­Russian deputy foreign minister specialising in Middle Eastern affairs, met Mr Abbas last week. The two had a "trusting ­conversation" about how to ­create "an independent Palestinian state", the ministry said. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is due to meet Mr Abbas in November.

Last month Mr Putin told heads of state in the Arab League that talks over the Israeli-­Palestinian conflict must focus on "creating an independent, ­viable and integral Palestinian state with its capital in east ­Jerusalem".

Mr Sisi said last month that Egypt was also making serious efforts to break the deadlock. He added that Cairo could not do this alone, implying that Russia would be the natural ­partner.