---
title: "Why Soviet Support for Israel Turned to Hostility"
description: "The Soviet Union backed the 1947 partition plan and recognized Israel in 1948, then severed ties after the 1967 war. Cold War rivalry and Soviet alignment with Arab governments drove the reversal; relations resumed in October 1991."
url: "https://hasbara.co.il/resources/russia-israel-complex-relationship/soviet-anti-zionism-and-the-restoration-of-israeli-diplomatic-ties"
type: "resource-page"
locale: "en"
categories: ["Russia-Israel Complex Relationship"]
---

# Why Soviet Support for Israel Turned to Hostility

*The Soviet Union backed the 1947 partition plan and recognized Israel in 1948, then severed ties after the 1967 war. Cold War rivalry and Soviet alignment with Arab governments drove the reversal; relations resumed in October 1991.*

The Soviet Union first supported Israel’s creation because it expected the new state to weaken British influence in the Middle East. It later became Israel’s adversary as Cold War competition, Soviet support for Arab governments and Moscow’s campaign against Zionism displaced that early calculation. The documented record is summarized in [UN joint statement on restored relations](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-206738/) [UN General Assembly Resolution 3379](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/189598?v=%5B%22%5B%27pdf%27%5D%22%5D) [Israeli Foreign Ministry bilateral relations](https://www.embassies.gov.il/saintpetersburg/en/the-consulate/bilateral-relations).

## From partition support to diplomatic rupture

In November 1947, the Soviet Union voted for the UN partition plan. It granted Israel de jure recognition on 17 May 1948, three days after Israel declared independence. Czechoslovakia, then within the Soviet sphere, supplied arms to Israel during the 1948 war. These actions helped the new state, but did not create a lasting alliance.

By the 1950s Moscow was building military and political ties with Arab governments, including Egypt and Syria. Israel’s growing ties with the United States further widened the divide. The Soviet Union severed diplomatic relations with Israel on 10 June 1967, after the Six-Day War. Several Eastern European states followed; Romania did not.

## Anti-Zionism and Jewish emigration

Soviet officials portrayed Zionism as an instrument of Western influence and used that claim in foreign policy and domestic propaganda. On 10 November 1975, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 3379, declaring Zionism a form of racism. The Assembly revoked that determination in 1991 through Resolution 46/86.

Many Soviet Jews who sought permission to emigrate were refused exit visas. Refuseniks such as Natan Sharansky became internationally known, and their cases helped make Jewish emigration a Cold War issue. The U.S. Jackson-Vanik Amendment tied trade treatment to freedom of emigration.

## Restoration in 1991

The Soviet Union restored full diplomatic relations with Israel on 18 October 1991. The joint statement signed in Jerusalem marked the end of a 24-year rupture; the USSR itself dissolved in December. The restored relationship opened a new chapter in migration and bilateral ties.

For the later relationship between Israel and the Russian Federation, see [Russia-Israel relations from Stalin to Putin](https://hasbara.co.il/resources/russia-israel-complex-relationship/russia-israel-relations-from-stalin-to-putin).

## Pages

- [Russia-Israel Relations from Stalin to Putin](/resources/russia-israel-complex-relationship/russian-foreign-policy-toward-israel-from-stalin-to-putin.md)
- [The Israel-Russia Deconfliction Mechanism in Syria](/resources/russia-israel-complex-relationship/the-idf-russia-deconfliction-mechanism-managing-air-operations-in-syria.md)
- [Israel, Russia, and the War in Ukraine](/resources/russia-israel-complex-relationship/israel-s-strategic-balancing-act-in-the-russia-ukraine-conflict.md)
- [Russian-Speaking Israelis and the Great Aliyah](/resources/russia-israel-complex-relationship/russian-speaking-diaspora-impact-on-israeli-society-and-politics.md)
- [Russia’s Relations with Hamas and Islamic Jihad](/resources/russia-israel-complex-relationship/moscow-s-strategic-relationship-with-hamas-and-palestinian-islamic-jihad.md)
- [Russia-Iran Military Cooperation and Israel’s Security](/resources/russia-israel-complex-relationship/russia-iran-military-cooperation-and-israeli-national-security.md)
- [The Alexander Courtyard Property Dispute in Jerusalem](/resources/russia-israel-complex-relationship/the-dispute-over-alexander-s-courtyard-in-jerusalem-s-old-city.md)
- [Israel-Russia Trade: What the Economic Ties Include](/resources/russia-israel-complex-relationship/economic-interdependence-israel-and-russia-s-trade-and-technology-ties.md)

## Sources

- [un.org](https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-206738/)
- [digitallibrary.un.org](https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/189598?v=%5B%22%5B%27pdf%27%5D%22%5D)
- [embassies.gov.il](https://www.embassies.gov.il/saintpetersburg/en/the-consulate/bilateral-relations)