Sheera Frenkel
Times Online
September 10, 2009

Israeli officials have been forced to admit that Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, made a secret trip to Moscow this week.

The revelation, which comes after denials of Israeli and Russian press reports, reinforces speculation that the Israelis played a role in stopping an alleged shipment of Russian arms to Iran.

The fact that Mr Netanyahu had used a false cover story for his absence on Monday — his military attaché told reporters that he was busy touring “security facilities” — prompted anger among Israeli commentators, who accused the Prime Minister of bad faith.

The visit appears to be linked to the story of the Arctic Sea, a cargo ship meant to be carrying wood whose reported seizure by pirates on July 24 as it passed through Swedish waters.

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