Seeking neutrality, Kremlin stays on sidelines of Israel-Hamas war
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Fred Weir Special correspondent
| Moscow
For over half a century, Moscow has held the same basic position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: It will ultimately require a two-state solution. To that end, and since the collapse of the former USSR, Moscow has striven to maintain good relations with both Israel and the Palestinians.
But when the horrific events of Oct. 7 and the aftermath erupted onto Russian TV, they divided society and put serious strains on the Kremlin鈥檚 ability to maintain its traditional stance of equidistance between the antagonists.
The Russian public has expressed sympathy for both sides. Hundreds of people came to lay flowers at the Israeli embassy in Moscow, many expressing聽 at the massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas shooters. And support for Palestinians was evident in the many bouquets placed聽, especially after Israeli retaliation in Gaza began to escalate and reports of heavy Palestinian casualties flowed in.
Why We Wrote This
The Kremlin has cultivated warm ties with both Israelis and Palestinians, which it hopes to maintain by staying out of the current war. Public opinion seems to approve.
As the West, led by the United States, lined up unequivocally behind its ally Israel, Moscow may have been tempted聽. Perhaps that is why it took Russian President Vladimir Putin more than a week聽聽to express condolences, condemn violence against civilians, and affirm Israel鈥檚 right to self-defense.
But Russian experts broadly say that Moscow is sticking to its nonpartisan stance, and beyond that does not want to get involved.
鈥淭he Russian position may change a bit as the situation changes, but the essence has been the same for many decades and will remain that way,鈥� says Andrei Klimov, deputy head of the international affairs committee of the Federation Council, Russia鈥檚 upper house of parliament.
鈥淚n the 1940s, the U.N. decided to create two states, Israel and Palestine, and we have supported that plan ever since,鈥� he points out. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen wars and attacks come and go many times, but Russia still believes that a political solution, resulting in two states, is the only way forward.鈥�
Warm ties with Israel
Russia is home to about 145,000 Jewish people, many of whom聽hold dual Russian/Israeli citizenship, while Israel has around a million Russian speakers in its population. The ties between the two countries are strong, underpinned by warm personal relations between Mr. Putin and Israeli leaders,聽particularly Mr. Netanyahu.
罢谤补诲别听, as do cultural relations. Israel has so far declined to impose Western-led sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine war. Russians enjoy visa-free travel to Israel, Mr. Putin has lauded Israel as a 鈥淩ussian-speaking鈥� country and聽聽to unveil a monument to the Red Army鈥檚 WWII victory in Netanya, Israel.
Dasha Mikhelson, spokesperson for the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia, says that the Jewish community in Russia today is flourishing. She says there is a common view of WWII and the Holocaust, shared tastes in music and cuisine, and lots of two-way tourism, as well as many kinds of cultural exchanges between Russia and Israel.
鈥淭oday, the leaders of both countries set the task of strengthening our friendship; they visit each other, discuss important political events,鈥� she says. 鈥淎ll this, as well as the flourishing of Jewish religious life in our country, correlates with good relations between Russia and Israel. Russians and Israelis understand each other well; we have a lot of similarities in our way of thinking and preferences.鈥�
Still, over the past couple of years, Russia鈥檚 war in Ukraine has tested聽Russian-Israeli ties, while military and political priorities have driven Moscow much closer to Israel鈥檚 main foe, Iran. The delicate, carefully negotiated arrangements that keep Russian and Israeli forces from clashing on聽the tense battleground of Syria聽have all but broken down, experts say.
And Russia鈥檚 call for a cease-fire in Gaza聽聽on Oct. 16 in part because it declined to describe the actions of Hamas as 鈥渢errorism鈥澛犫�� a baseline requirement for Israel.
While the basic relationship between the two countries is likely to survive present tensions, analysts say, political ties are definitely chilling.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit strange to me that the attack of Hamas was not condemned immediately by Russia,鈥� says Lyudmila Samarskaya, a Middle East expert at IMEMO, an official foreign policy research institute in Moscow. 鈥淧erhaps this can be understood in the context of the general confrontation between Russia and the West, which overshadows everything else these days. But Russia鈥檚 basic policy remains unchanged.鈥�
Russia has also maintained official relations with Hamas as well as the Palestinian Authority over the years. About 20% of Russia鈥檚 population is Muslim, and some religious charities have been publicly raising money to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, something the Russian government officially supports.
But outright backing for the violence committed by Hamas on Oct. 7 has been sparse. The main exception appears to be聽Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who issued a statement of support for the Palestinian territories after the massacres and聽聽to mediate between Israel and Hamas.
鈥淜adyrov鈥檚 reaction is a bit of an exception to the general Russian attitude,鈥� says Ms. Samarskaya. 鈥淪uch one-sidedness does not coincide with the official Russian position, nor with what most people think.鈥�
鈥淣ot our business鈥�
Sergei Markov, a former Kremlin adviser, suggests that Russia hopes to take part in a peace settlement at some point and wants to maintain an appearance of impartiality.
鈥淩ussia didn鈥檛 condemn Hamas directly because both sides are using terrorist methods according to the Russian point of view, and there is no reason to single out one side,鈥� he says. 鈥淩ussia is ready to be a mediator when it might be necessary, and that means keeping a balance.鈥�
Few analysts see that as a realistic possibility, as the defeat of Russia鈥檚 U.N. resolution would seem to confirm. Indeed,聽聽to appear after the Oct. 7 events, an unscientific survey done by the Moscow daily newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, found almost a quarter of respondents leery of any Russian involvement in the conflict.
鈥淩ussia has nothing to do with this conflict, and we do not need it,鈥� one reader commented.
Denis Volkov, head of the independent Levada Center, says that the cumulative results of past polls suggest that most Russians don鈥檛 take a side. 鈥淎bout half the population is indifferent, with maybe a bit more supporting Israel. But when asked who is to blame, the majority of people answer that it鈥檚 the USA,鈥� he says.
Mr. Klimov, the senator, says that despite its involvement in Syria and growing ties with Iran, Russia would probably prefer to sit this conflict out.
鈥淔or much of Russian society, this conflict is perceived as happening far from us,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e really have enough concerns close to home, without looking for distant problems to get involved with. I don鈥檛 mean to say that we are indifferent to what鈥檚 happening, just that there鈥檚 not much we can do about it.鈥�
