Likely acting under direction from his boss Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has relocated from Britain to Israel. Worth around $10 billion and owner of the top-flight British soccer club Chelsea, Abramovich had faced delays to the renewal of his British visa.
Those delays were a deliberate British government effort to send a message to Putin in the aftermath of Russia’s recent assassination attempt against Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Following that attack, the U.K. is cracking down on Russian interests’ use of London as a money laundering factory. As a high profile Russian in the U.K. and one of Putin’s closest oligarch friends, Abramovich offered an easy target for British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government. In response, Abramovich has suspended plans to invest in a major new stadium for Chelsea. The diplomatic waltz rumbles on.
Still, it’s easy to understand why Israel is welcoming Abramovich with open arms.
For one, Abramovich is a prominent Russian Jew who has invested in Jewish well-being in Russia. That naturally predisposes Israel to view Abramovich as a returning son. But it also helps that the oligarch carries with him the prospect of major investments in Israel’s economy. While Israel is experiencing strong economic growth, its construction industry is struggling slightly. Abramovich might help fix that.
Yet Israel also wants Abramovich for political reasons.
Consider the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is presently working with Putin to forge a compromise in Syria. In basic terms the Israelis want Russia to prevent the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps from consolidating their forward positions in southern Syria. In turn, the Russians want the Israelis to stop supporting rebels fighting Assad’s forces and to push Trump to withdraw from eastern Syria. As a close friend of the Russian president, Abramovich’s is thus attractive to Israel in the same way he is unattractive to Britain. Abramovich offers Israel a way to show favor to Putin while also giving Netanyahu a direct line to the Russian president.
Put simply, expect Abramovich to be a frequent guest at Beit Aghion.
