Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was apparently unwilling to discuss some key domestic issues during a meeting Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
After opening statements at a press conference, the two leaders met for a closed-door meeting, during which the subject of Amona and the brewing coalition crisis with the Jewish Home were raised.
The Jewish Home, which has demanded the Prime Minister fulfill his promise to build a replacement town in Samaria for the 42 families evicted from Amona in February, threatened Wednesday to vote against a media regulation bill pushed by Netanyahu should he fail to uphold his pledge.
But when the issue was raised by Putin, Netanyahu sought to change the subject.
“I came today to talk about important issues and events in Syria,” Netanyahu reportedly said. “Let’s talk about something serious.”
Prior to the meeting, Netanyahu called Russia a “partner” in the fight against Islamic terror, but warned that Shi’ite Islamic terrorism was just as much a danger as Sunni groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
“[T]he threat of radical Shi'ite Islam threatens us no less than it does the region and the peace of the world, and I know that we are partners in the desire to prevent any kind of victory by radical Islam of any sort.”