Why Russia makes cautious statements regarding the war between Israel and Hamas

The war between Israel and Hamas has forced Russia to perform a delicate balancing act, in which Moscow has called for a quick end to the fighting without blaming anyone.

The careful position is due to the Kremlin’s long-standing ties to Israel, the Palestinians and other regional players, and reflects the Russian government’s hopes of expanding its influence in the Middle East by playing the role of peacemaker.

Russia has also sought to portray the hostilities as a failure of U.S. policy, and hopes they will be a distraction to Washington and its allies in maintaining military support for Ukraine.

Here is a look at the Kremlin’s messages regarding the war between Israel and Hamas and its relations with governments in the region:

What does Russia say about the war?

President Vladimir Putin said the roots of the war lay in the failure to create a sovereign Palestinian state in line with United Nations resolutions, something he called “flagrant injustice”. He noted that Israeli policies of continuing to build settlements have exacerbated the situation.

Putin said it is a reflection of what he called a clear failure of Washington’s efforts to achieve peace, claiming that the United States has focused on offering “gifts” to the Palestinians, while paying little attention to their fundamental problems related to the creation of their own state.

He urged the Israeli government and Hamas not to attack civilians, and emphasized that all attempts must be made to end the war quickly, warning that escalation would entail serious risks.

The carefully calibrated statements by Putin and his lieutenants reflect Moscow’s attempts to preserve good relations with both Israel and the Palestinians. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, emphasized that the Russian government must maintain a “balanced approach” and talk to both sides, noting that this should allow Russia to help mediate a deal.

As it maneuvers to be a potential peacemaker, Moscow also harbors hopes that the fighting will distract Washington and its allies from the war in Ukraine and eventually erode Western support for kyiv.

Peskov even mocked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that he must feel jealous of the fact that the United States is now forced to focus on providing military assistance to Israel.

How has Moscow’s policy towards the Middle East evolved?

Throughout the Cold War, Moscow strongly backed the Palestinians and other allies in the Arab world against Israel, providing them with military and political support.

The Soviet Union suspended diplomatic relations with Israel after the Six-Day War of 1967. Moscow’s policies subsequently began to change as Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev reorganized foreign policy, and relations with Israel were restored shortly before. after the USSR disintegrated in 1991.

In the decade that followed the Soviet dissolution, Russia’s global influence waned amid an economic meltdown and political instability that forced the Kremlin to address domestic issues.

After Putin came to power, he sought to revive old alliances in the Middle East while maintaining warm ties with Israel. Russia joined a quartet of governments seeking to pacify the region, along with the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, but played a minor role in the efforts compared to Washington.

In 2015, Moscow sent its warplanes and soldiers to its old ally Syria, partnering with Iran to shore up President Bashar Assad’s regime in the face of the country’s civil war. Russian intervention allowed Assad to regain control of most of Syria and helped expand the Kremlin’s influence in the Middle East.

How close are Russia and Israel?

Following the Soviet breakup, Russia and Israel have continually expanded trade and other contacts, and strengthened their security ties.

More than 1 million people from Russia and other parts of the former Soviet Union have moved to Israel, a development that Russian and Israeli officials have described as a major factor in cementing ties.

Moscow’s relations with Israel remained strong amid Russia’s operations in Syria, even as the Israeli military frequently attacked Iranian forces, which had partnered with Russian soldiers in the country.

Although the Russian and Israeli militaries maintained conflict prevention channels amid the fighting in Syria, a Russian reconnaissance plane was shot down in 2018 by Assad forces responding to an Israeli airstrike, resulting in death. of the 15 people on board, an incident that briefly generated tension in Russian-Israeli bilateral relations.

The invasion of Ukraine ordered by Putin has represented a major test for relations between the two countries. Israeli authorities have proceeded cautiously, expressing support for kyiv but refusing to provide it with weapons. Many Israelis were upset by Putin’s claim that Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, was actually a neo-Nazi. The Russian president also praised Israeli mediation initiatives in the first stage of the conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu explained his government’s reluctance to send military equipment to Kiev, emphasizing the need to maintain security contacts with Moscow in Syria and expressing concern that weapons provided to Ukraine could end up in Iranian hands. , a statement that angered Ukrainian officials.

How did Russian-Palestinian ties evolve?

During the Cold War, Moscow was the main backer of the Palestinians, offering them political, economic and military support. The Soviet Union provided generous subsidies, helped train Palestinian forces, and gave them weapons.

Although those ties weakened after the collapse of the Soviet Union as the Kremlin focused on domestic challenges, Putin has moved to revive them.

Moscow has repeatedly received Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, but has also been in contact with Hamas. Several Hamas leaders have visited the Russian capital, including Ismail Haniyeh, who held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in September 2022.

What do Russia and Iran cooperate on?

The leaders of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979 denounced the Soviet Union as a “lesser Satan” compared to “the great Satan,” the United States. But after the Soviet demise, Moscow and Tehran forged close ties. The Kremlin built Iran’s first nuclear power plant and deepened its ties with Iranians as Russian tensions with the West soared.

Relations with Iran became even closer in the midst of the Syrian war, when both governments teamed up to support Assad’s.

In the war in Ukraine, Iran has provided Moscow with hundreds of explosion-proof Shahed drones, which have been used by Russian forces against energy facilities and other crucial infrastructure. Iran has also allegedly shared its drone technology with Russia, which built a plant to produce them.

In exchange, Moscow is expected to offer Iran advanced fighter jets and other modern weapons.

What other alliances has Moscow sought?

As part of its efforts to expand its global influence, Russia has moved to strengthen ties with Iran’s main rival in the region: Saudi Arabia.

Although the Kremlin backed Assad in Syria while the Saudis supported his enemies, Moscow and Riyadh have managed to narrow their differences over Syria and expand cooperation on other issues.

Putin has forged strong personal ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the two grew even closer after U.S.-Saudi relations became embroiled in disputes in recent years.

Putin’s ties to Salman paved the way for an OPEC+ deal to cut oil production, which was led by Moscow and Riyadh, and helped bolster falling oil prices, to the benefit of the countries that produce it.

Source: AP