Russia expert on Putin’s role in the Middle East: “The escalation plays into the hands of the Kremlin”

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There is war in the Middle East. Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip unexpectedly fired rockets into Israel on Saturday morning. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (73) warns his people that they must prepare for a long-term conflict.

Hamas’s terrorist attack is robbing the region of what little stability was left. This should please one actor in particular: Russia. Last but not least, the visit of a Hamas delegation or the visit of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (68) to Tehran, which is close to Hamas, leads political scientists such as Andrew A. Michta (67) to come to this conclusion .

But how does Russia benefit from a war in the Middle East?

Russia can divert attention from the war in Ukraine

By turning the focus of this war on Israel and away from Ukraine, Michta explains on X (formerly Twitter). Ulrich Schmid, Russia expert at the University of St. Gallen, also confirmed to Blick: “The conflict in Israel is playing into the hands of the Kremlin. This is how Russia can divert attention from the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin has even started to play a role as a peace mediator.”

Another point about how Russia can benefit from the conflict: the country will accuse the West of neglecting security in the Middle East to defend Ukraine. The American Institute for War Studies (ISW) announced this on Sunday.

For example, the experts pointed out that the Russian Foreign Ministry recently accused the West of blocking the efforts of the Middle East Quartet, which includes Russia, the US, the EU and the United Nations. Which in turn could convince the Global South, which includes the Middle East, that the West is not interested in them. This, in turn, would increase Russia’s power in the region.

Hamas and Russia have a longstanding friendship

However, we should not forget that Russia and Hamas – which Russia does not recognize as a terrorist group – have had political relations for many years. Russia officially recognized Hamas’ victory in the 2006 Palestinian elections (which the rest of the Middle East Quartet did not). Both sides have met regularly since then, usually at the level of ministers or deputy foreign ministers.

However, since the start of the war in Ukraine, ties between Russia and Hamas have deepened. Russian delegations traveled to the Gaza Strip last year and Hamas representatives visited Russia. The intensification of relations between Russia and Hamas could therefore be interpreted as a move by Moscow to improve relations with Israel’s enemies in retaliation for Israel’s position on the war in Ukraine.

Expert Ulrich Schmid doubts whether Russia actively has its fingers in the game and specifically supports Hamas in the fight against the Israeli state. Because even if Russia and Israel do not have the same opinion about the war in Ukraine: “Russia will not jeopardize its relations with Israel so easily.”

Source: Blick