ABSTRACT
In the era before Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev came to power, a major crisis in the Middle East might have been expected to interfere in, or at least slow down, the growing Soviet-Israeli relationship. With the outbreak of the crisis, there were indeed those who likened Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. Despite the various reports and criticisms, official Soviet policy and most of the media did not support linkage. The Arab-Israeli conflict would be tackled once the Gulf crisis was settled. Emigration from the Soviet Union to Israel not only continued but increased significantly, even during the Gulf crisis. Moscow’s announcement, in April, that Bessmertnykh intended to visit Israel, in his May tour of the ME, was another clear indication that Moscow was continuing its pursuit of improved relations with Israel.
