GEW Assessment Report
(1)
The recent meeting between high-ranking Hamas members and Russian officials in Moscow highlights Russia\’s attempt to present itself as an alternative platform for possible mediation in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The meeting, which included discussions on the release of foreign captives (i.e., war prisoners) from the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of Russians and other foreigners from the region, underscores President Vladimir Putin\’s vision of international conflicts as an extension of the grand collision between Western states and the rest of the world, with Moscow at the forefront of that fight [1].
By engaging with Hamas, Moscow is also risking its already fragile relationship with Israel, which has criticised Russia\’s decision to invite the Hamas delegation as \”a reprehensible step that gives support to terrorism and legitimacy to the horrific acts of Hamas terrorists\” [1].
(2)
The Relationship Between Russia and Hamas
Russia has long maintained a relationship with Hamas, which is part of its broader Middle East strategy to boost its standing in the Global South. Despite the USA and its Western allies condemning Hamas as a so-called “terrorist organisation,” Russia has declined to designate it as such, even after the 7 October attacks carried out by Hamas militants. This stance is seen as an attempt by Russia to “legitimise” Hamas and cement its status as a friend of the Global South [1]. But Hamas is, for millions of people, just a segment of the broader Palestinian national liberation movement fighting for a Free Palestine. It does not need legitimation from states but only from people and grassroots trends.
Russia\’s relationship with Hamas is also influenced by its desire to challenge what President Putin calls \”the ugly neocolonial system of international relations.\” This is reflected in Russia\’s continued willingness to engage with Hamas and its outreach to Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank. Russia\’s self-presentation as a peacemaker and its criticism of U.S. policy in the Middle East are part of its status-seeking behaviour [1].
The recent discussions have focused on issues such as the release of foreign prisoners from Gaza and the evacuation of Russian citizens and foreigners from the enclave [2]. Despite Israel\’s condemnation of these visits, Russia maintains that it is necessary to maintain contact with all parties [3].
Russia\’s relationship with Hamas is also part of its efforts to expand its regional influence. This is evident in its pursuit of friendly relations with Hamas and its attempts to position itself as a mediator in the Israel-Hamas conflict [2] [3]. However, it\’s important to note that Russia\’s leverage in the Gaza war is limited, in part due to U.S. naval power in the Mediterranean [2].
History
Historically, Russia has had a complex relationship with Palestine, deeply interwoven with Russian and Soviet relations with Israeli enterprise, Palestinian nationalism, and Third World national liberation movements.
Negotiations between Russia and Hamas commenced following the organization\’s unexpected victory in the 2006 Palestinian elections. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal to discuss the trajectory of the Israeli–Palestinian peace process.
On January 25, 2006, the second Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), the legislative body of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), was elected in the Palestinian legislative election of 2006. Hamas, which ran under the list name Change and Reform and received 44.45% of the vote to secure 74 of the 132 seats, emerged victorious. In contrast, the governing Fatah secured 45 seats ± and received 41.43% of the vote[8]. The inaugural meeting of the recently elected PLC took place on February 18, 2006.
Russia initiated discussions with Hamas regarding the future of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process following the latter\’s victory. On March 16, 2006, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov conferred with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal in Damascus [9]. The objective of the discussions was to establish a harmonious resolution to the protracted dispute that existed between Israel and Palestine. Since its establishment in 2002, Russia has actively participated in initiatives aimed at resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and has been a member of the Quartet on the Middle East [9].
In conclusion, Russia\’s relationship with Hamas is driven by a combination of historical ties, strategic interests, and a desire to challenge the existing international order. This relationship is part of Russia\’s broader Middle East strategy and reflects its efforts to boost its standing in the Global South and position itself as a mediator in regional conflicts.
(3)
Russia’s Position
Officially, Russia has hardened its position towards the conflict in Gaza. Russian President Vladimir Putin has compared the intensified siege of Gaza by Israel to the siege of Leningrad by German armies during the Second World War, a statement likely to cause a well-deserved deep offence in Israel [1]. Russia\’s foreign ministry has also condemned a strike on the Baptist hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians, calling it a shockingly dehumanising crime and asking Israel to provide satellite imagery if it was not involved [2].
Geopolitically, the conflict in Gaza, to the happiness of all freedom and justice lovers worldwide, has aggravated existing tensions between Russia and Western powers such as the US, UK, and France. It showed how Russia (and China) are better friends to the Arabs, as they hold fair and just positions regarding the 75-year-long conflict with a fascist entity called Israel.
Russia has sought to balance closer ties with Israel with its broader diplomatic efforts to win allies in the Arab world and more broadly. Russia is seeking support for its continuing war in Ukraine while also blaming the US for the conflict in the Middle East [1]. It would also be fair to add that not only the USA is responsible for the crimes Israel committed during the past 75 years, but it is also responsible for pushing Zelensky to fight a war against a neighbour like Russia – a global power – a war for which even America itself has never been ready to fight since the days of the USSR.
Regarding mediation or peace talks, Russia has offered to mediate the crisis, with Putin stating that Russia is ready to coordinate with all constructive partners and that the main thing now is to stop the bloodshed [5]. However, a Russian-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution that would have called for a humanitarian ceasefire in the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza failed to get the minimum nine votes needed in the 15-member body [8].
Russian media has reported on the conflict, with some outlets blaming the US for the conflict and others focusing on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza [1][2][5][7]. Which the Western media failed to do.
In conclusion, Russia\’s position on the Israeli war on Gaza reflects fairness and justice, which do not clash with its geopolitical interests, its relationships with other countries in the region, and its desire to play a role in mediating the conflict. An ethical lesson for the immoral West.
References for further reading
Citations: (1)
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/26/world/middleeast/hamas-russia-moscow.html
[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/putin-warns-israel-hamas-conflict-could-spread-beyond-middle-east-condemns-gaza-2023-10-25/
[3] https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/10/26/hamas-delegates-arrive-in-moscow-for-talks-foreign-ministry-a82902
[4] https://youtube.com/watch?v=gkz4d5pwn9s
[5] https://www.timesofisrael.com/moscow-hosts-hamas-delegation-and-irans-deputy-fm-prompting-israeli-outrage/
[6] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/26/israels-war-in-gaza-could-spread-beyond-middle-east-russias-putin
[7] https://apnews.com/article/russia-iran-hamas-israel-palestine-9b57f4322f57f3a6ff33e2908cb2a3ef
[8] https://www.npr.org/2023/10/21/1207844513/putin-sees-israel-hamas-war-as-opportunity-for-geopolitical-power-shift
[9] https://www.reuters.com/world/hamas-delegation-is-visiting-moscow-russian-foreign-ministry-2023-10-26/
[10] https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/putin-hints-mediator-role-sides-hamas
[11] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-bombing-gaza-has-killed-50-hostages-hamas-official-tells-russian-2023-10-27/
[12] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/17/russia-israel-putin-hamas-gaza/
[13] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/26/hamas-delegation-travels-to-moscow-for-talks-on-foreign-hostages-in-gaza
[14] https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-president-vladimir-putin-says-israel-gaza-conflict-an-example-of-us-failure-in-middle-east-645030
[15] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/10/world/europe/israel-hamas-russia-putin.html
Citations: (2)
[1] https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/90841
[2] https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/10/hamas-delegation-arrives-russia
[3] https://apnews.com/article/russia-iran-hamas-israel-palestine-9b57f4322f57f3a6ff33e2908cb2a3ef
[4]
[5] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-bombing-gaza-has-killed-50-hostages-hamas-official-tells-russian-2023-10-27/
[6] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/26/world/middleeast/hamas-russia-moscow.html
[7] https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/10/19/israel-palestine-hamas-gaza-war-russia-iran-putin/
(8) Hamas celebrates election victory | Palestinian territories | The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/jan/26/israel.
(9) Ibid.
(10) Palestinian Parliamentary Elections 2006 – GlobalSecurity.org. https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/palestine/pa-elections2006.htm.
(11) Was Hamas elected to govern Gaza? Here\’s what happened in the last …. https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/10/was-hamas-elected-to-govern-gaza-george-w-bush-2006-palestinian-election.html.
(12) The 2006 election that led to Hamas taking over Gaza – The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/10/24/gaza-election-hamas-2006-palestine-israel/.
Citations: (3)
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/16/china-russia-harden-positions-gaza-war-geopolitical-tensions
[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/russia-says-israel-should-provide-evidence-it-didnt-strike-gaza-hospital-2023-10-18/
[3] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/10/18/israel-hamas-war-live-limited-gaza-aid-deal-agreed-between-us-and-egypt
[4] https://press.un.org/en/2023/gaef3592.doc.htm
[5] https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/10/13/putin-says-russia-ready-to-mediate-israel-hamas-war-a82758
[6] https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/14/propaganda-misinformation-israel-hamas-war-social-media/
[7] https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/10/17/putin-russia-israel-hamas-war-gaza/
[8] https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-push-un-security-council-action-israel-gaza-fails-2023-10-16/
[9] https://www.geopoliticalmonitor.com/middle-east-on-the-brink-why-the-conflict-in-gaza-must-stop/
[10] https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-news-hamas-war-10-13-23/h_8510143a0372439c84b9f9a413e173c6
[11] https://www.politico.eu/article/israel-social-media-opinion-hamas-war/
[12] https://www.euronews.com/2023/10/18/the-israel-hamas-war-is-the-latest-proof-russia-is-a-global-agent-of-chaos
[13] https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/10/17/russia-israel-putin-hamas-gaza/
[14] https://foreignpolicy.com/2023/10/09/russia-gaza-chaos-israel-ukraine-pentagon/
[15] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-67099574
[16] https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/13/business/israel-hamas-misinformation-social-media-x.html
[17] https://www.newarab.com/analysis/what-are-russias-stakes-israel-hamas-war-gaza
[18] https://press.un.org/en/2023/sc15445.doc.htm
[19] https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/israel-hamas-war-humanitarian-crisis-gaza
[20] https://youtube.com/watch?v=-KjFo0Xviqk
[21] https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/18/israel-hamas-war-gaza-live-updates-latest-news.html
[22] https://www.reuters.com/world/putin-israeli-ground-operation-gaza-will-result-civilian-losses-2023-10-13/
[23] https://www.reuters.com/world/imf-world-bank-impotent-israel-gaza-war-shock-reforms-edge-forward-2023-10-16/
[24] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/11/putin-concerned-over-catastrophic-civilian-deaths-in-israel-gaza-war
[25] https://www.cnn.com/middleeast/live-news/israel-news-hamas-war-10-18-23/index.html
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