Moscow’s support for the Palestinian side in the long-standing Israeli-Palestinian conflict dates back to the end of World War II. In general, the Soviet Union took a pro-Palestinian position or a very balanced approach to the conflict. This trend was followed by the socialist bloc between 1945 and 1989, with the exception of socialist Romania, which under Nicolae Ceaușescu took a different stance, maintaining relations with Israel. So, relations between the USSR, later Russia, date back to the very beginning of the conflict, that is, from the moment of the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

The Russian Federation is rightly one of the main sponsors of Hamas. This is evidenced by the fact that in Russia Hamas is not recognized as a terrorist organization, as, for example, in other European countries and the USA. On the contrary, the political leaders of Russia constantly meet with the leaders of the terrorist organization Hamas and constantly receive them in the Kremlin.

In addition, Hamas has two more main sponsors: Iran and Qatar.

Covert participation of the Russian Federation in the war in Israel

In addition, another question arises, whether the role of Russia has an indirect meaning here. One can even support the thesis that due to the war in Ukraine and the serious deterioration of relations between Russia and the West, the geopolitics of Russian-Iranian relations has changed. Therefore, Moscow gives Iran more room for maneuver in the Middle East region. Thus, Iran feels emboldened by its alliance with Russia. As part of this alliance, Tehran provides drones and other types of support to Russia in the war in Ukraine. At the same time, it is possible that he will receive some political support from Russia in return.

In addition, the Russians have become more reluctant to renew the JCPOA, the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, after it was previously scrapped. Under these circumstances, they adopted a more tolerant attitude towards Iran. This general feeling of “invigoration” can play a significant role in the current situation. So there is a connection with Russia and a connection with the conflict in Ukraine.

Undoubtedly, there is a lot of evidence that many fighters of the Hamas organization were trained by the Russians, which also indicates the presence of Russian instructors in the organization. Russia has supported Hamas on the international stage since the days of the Soviet Union. In addition, several active leaders of the Hamas organization are currently in Moscow. Russia has long courted Islamist militants, and one of Hamas’s top leaders, Ismail Haniya, and other officials recently visited Moscow. After Saturday’s attacks, the Russians quickly revealed old plans to return Israel’s borders to where they were in 1967.

Foreign Minister Serhii Lavrov said that the creation of a Palestinian state is hindered by the “destructive policy” of the United States. At the same time, ex-president Dmitry Medvedev gleefully described the Hamas attacks as an “expected development” and directed his anger at the West, expressing his satisfaction.

Hamas leaders have said that all the tasks set by the group have been completed, that they are ready to negotiate with Israel and that they thank Russia for its support, as Russia has supported Hamas in the UN Security Council, blocking some resolutions against the terrorist organization. The president of the so-called Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas is going to Moscow on a working visit, there is clearly a direct connection between the actions of Hamas and the support from Russia, therefore there is a full and large-scale support of Hamas by Russia. .

An opportunity to end terror once and for all?

To understand how this war in the East, the war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas, will develop, we must also understand that this organization is not only a threat to Israel, but a terrorist threat to the entire world. The name Hamas is not only about the elimination of some paramilitary formations. We are talking about liquidation as a structure. Of course, we must understand how difficult the operation to dissolve such an organization (on the example of Al-Qaeda) is. According to various reports, Israel’s response was commensurate with Hamas’s aggression, but only 200 airstrikes were carried out on the night of the response to Hamas’ atrocities in the Gaza Strip.

Israel mobilized 300,000 soldiers into the National Army, and the entire Israeli army at the beginning of the war was only 160,000 soldiers, basically the mobilization reserve of the Israeli army is 460,000. From this, you can understand that Israel has prepared for the worst war in the last 50 years. The decision of the Israeli Security Cabinet was made immediately after the surprise attack by Hamas, namely to enter Gaza and settle the conflict once and for all.

Israel is so strong in its actions against Hamas that it is capable not only of defeating the organization, but also of creating virtually any new security structure in the region that suits its wishes. Despite the limited threats of Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank, these violent incidents are likely to remain sporadic.

As for the rest of the Arab world, Israel does not appear to face a serious direct military threat from its Arab neighbors, including Libya, Syria, Jordan, Egypt. Given that Lebanon is now in total chaos, it also makes the likelihood of significant military action there less likely. Syria is also struggling to recover from a dormant civil war after more than a decade.

These factors make Israel a powerful and influential country in the region, which allows it to shape its security policy and build relations according to its interests. Israel is likely to continue its efforts to maintain stability in the region and seek ways to resolve conflicts involving neighboring countries. – Read the entire article and comment on Contributors.ro