[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

Pop quiz: if you asked a random sample of academics, politicians,
journalists and others from the left who slammed the opening of the Western
Wall tunnels if the day would ever come that the president of Russia would
tour it as part of his visit - with Israelis - to the Western Wall compound,
how many would say "yes".

Answer: 0.

No. Its not a sign of the "End Times".

Its just that when it comes to assessing Israel's standing, there is a
danger of hyper-pessimism.

Why does this matter?

Because the policy recommendations driven by the pessimism are distorted by
the pessimism. ]

Russian President Vladimir Putin Visits the Western Wall
(Communicated by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation
http://english.thekotel.org )

Russian President Vladimir Putin, this morning (Tuesday, 26 June 2012), at
approximately 02:00, visited the Western Wall, accompanied by Western Wall
and Holy Places Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich
ravhakotel@thekotel.org
and Russian Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar.

The Russian President approached the stones, offered a short prayer and
recited Psalms from a Russian-Hebrew prayer book. He noted that he came at
an hour in order that he might have some privacy.

Rabbis Rabinovich and Lazar explained to Russian President Putin the Western
Wall's importance to the Jewish People. Afterwards, he toured the Western
Wall tunnels, was briefed on the ongoing excavations and said that his visit
enhanced his understanding of the site and its links to the Jewish People.
The Russian President received a personalized Russian-language copy of a
book about the tunnels.