It may be to Russia’s advantage that the world’s attention has shifted from Ukraine to the Middle East. President Putin is coming into play as a mediator.
The USA and the EU are to blame for Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel. And of course Ukraine. Without providing any evidence, Vyacheslav Volodin claimed this on Tuesday. He is head of the Duma and therefore one of Russia’s most important politicians in parliament. “The US and Brussels flooded Ukraine with weapons. And the Ukrainian leadership sold them on to the countries in the Middle East,” he said.
So if you look for the culprits, in his opinion they are obviously Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz. They are to blame for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. They create tension in the world.
Using a brutal terrorist attack to indirectly justify one’s own war – or special military operation, as it is officially called – did not trigger any audible protest in Moscow.
Attention shifts to the Middle East
The fact that the world’s attention has shifted from Ukraine to the Middle East should at least be helpful to the Russian leadership at the moment. And perhaps, hoped presidential spokesman Peskov, US money and weapons will now go to Israel rather than to Ukraine. He said in a press briefing: “This will inevitably happen because opportunities have limits, money can be tight. There is emotional fatigue and legitimate questions from foreign taxpayers about exactly what the money is being spent on. We are watching that.”
In the conflict following the terrorist attack by Hamas, Russia is trying to balance itself. There was no clear public condemnation of Hamas terror. Both sides were called for a ceasefire and negotiations.
“Of course, we have long-standing historical relations with the Palestinians and remain in contact – even at a high level. At the same time, we maintain our relations with the state of Israel, with which we have many things in common,” said presidential spokesman Peskov. There are a large number of compatriots “who live in Israel. That’s why we maintain relationships with both parties.”
Of Israel’s nine million inhabitants, there are around two million Russian-speaking people. Since Russia’s war against Ukraine began, 37,000 Russians have come to Israel. And: Russian citizens also died as a result of the Hamas attack, and several are missing.
Russia’s efforts to actively mediator role
Russia is trying to play an active role as a mediator. “It is not only the fighting that needs to be urgently stopped and the needs of the civilians who are becoming victims of today’s situation solved,” said Foreign Minister Lavrov at a meeting with the head of the Arab League in Moscow. One must pay particular attention to the causes of the conflict, “why the Palestine problem has remained unresolved for decades.”
The West has hindered the work of the Middle East Quartet – that is, Russia, the USA, the EU and the UN. Just on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Minister explained in a long essay how the West, with its neo-colonial approach, is trying to convey its own values by imposing its own values on others.
Return to the world stage?
A view that Russian President Vladimir Putin puts forward very often. “This is a clear example of the failure of US policy in the Middle East. They have tried to monopolize the settlement, but unfortunately have not bothered to find mutually acceptable compromises,” he said at his meeting on Tuesday with the Iraqi head of government in Moscow.
Pressure would have been put on both sides, Putin continued, “without taking into account the fundamental interests of the Palestinian people and implementing the UN Security Council decision to create an independent, sovereign Palestinian state.”
Russia as a strong mediator in the Middle East: This would not only be a diplomatic success, but a kind of return to the world stage – despite the war against Ukraine.