“Did Hamas really time the attack on Israel to coincide with Vladimir Putin’s birthday?” I’m already tired of answering this question in the negative on social media. The only symbolic date that the Islamist leaders had in mind was apparently the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the so-called “Yom Kippur War” in October 1973. Nevertheless, with its attack on Israel, “Hamas” made, albeit unwittingly, a great gift to Putin. This is commented by Konstantin Eggert, author of German wave.
Oil is rising in price to the delight of the Kremlin
First of all, we must say that, given the scale of the hostilities and the number of victims, this is indeed a war. And that this new Arab-Israeli war sharply shifted the attention of the international community from Russian aggression against Ukraine to the Middle East. This is a real godsend for the Kremlin. Putin can escalate hostilities or, on the contrary, reduce their intensity: in the current situation, much less attention will be paid to this than just a few days ago, Eggert is categorical.
Volodymyr Zelensky: Ukraine and Israel face the same evil
It is interesting that, in a sense, an old story is being repeated for Moscow in this case. In the autumn of 1956, the British-French intervention in Egypt, supported by Israel, opened for Nikita Khrushchev an excellent opportunity to quickly suppress the anti-Soviet and anti-communist revolution in Hungary. While the whole world was preoccupied with the fate of the Suez Canal, nationalized by the Egyptian military regime, which was an ally of The Soviet Union, the Soviet army shot the revolting Hungarians and installed in Budapest its puppet leadership led by Janos Kadar. Well, now Putin is clearly not going to go to Kiev and depose Volodymyr Zelensky, commented the author of Deutsche Welle.
Second, after the terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel, the price of oil rose sharply. This means that the Russian regime, which does not have financial problems anyway due to the increase in the price of fossil energy carriers, will now have even more funds. And he will inject them into military production, spend to recruit volunteers for the war, pay compensation to the families of the dead, give generous handouts to government employees and gifts to the administration, including the secret service, the army and the police, commented Eggert.
Emergency evacuation: Residents in the northern part of the Gaza Strip leave within 24 hours
Thirdly, Israel’s war with Hamas gives the Russian regime a chance to at least somewhat clear its reputation and enter the role of an indispensable participant in Middle Eastern intrigues. I am sure that the upcoming visit to Moscow of a long-time “friend” of the Kremlin (this is the most restrained wording) – the head of The Palestinian National Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, will be part of the diplomatic game that Putin is preparing to play. He definitely wants to remind that he has influence in the Middle East. Well, it might not be the same as the US, but it’s there. At the same time, influence is often exerted on those with whom Washington has difficult relations, commented the author of Deutsche Welle.
The Israeli hostages and the reputation of the Kremlin
For Putin, this is an occasion to remind the Arab countries that Russia remains their friend and is always ready to counter the American influence in the region in the best possible way. On the other hand, it is not excluded that the Russian regime will offer its mediation services in the negotiations for the release of the hostages taken by “Hamas” in Israel. Let’s imagine that in the near future the head of the political bureau of “Hamas” Ismail Haniya or his deputy Musa Abu Marzouk find themselves in the Russian capital: then we can talk about an attempt to strengthen Moscow’s reputation as an allegedly irreplaceable regional player and at least to partially wash the image of the Russian leadership and Putin personally in the eyes of the international community. “It is better for the Kremlin to be on our side than to support the Islamists” – the Russian dictator expects that exactly this type of conversation will take place in Western offices. And it is possible that his calculations turn out to be correct, writes Eggert.
“Hamas”: We have been preparing the attack on Israel since 2022.
And finally: Hamas’ attack on Israel gives new trump cards to far-right Republicans in the US Congress who want to limit military aid to Ukraine. Their logic: in the face of the existential threat to Israel, the United States should throw all its energy and resources in support of a proven strategic ally, not Ukraine, which will not defeat Russia anyway, the Deutsche Welle commentator is emphatic.
But everything can develop in a completely different way. If Israel decides to attack Iran, which is the main sponsor and protector of Hamas, it will be a serious blow to one of Moscow’s few remaining key allies. I’m not sure the Israelis are capable of truly overthrowing the Ayatollahs’ regime, but they can seriously weaken it. Of course, this option for the development of events is not the main one, the author adds.
Finally, an interesting detail: against the background of what is happening, Russian propaganda got an opportunity to flood people with poorly veiled but time-tested Soviet-style anti-Semitism, which hides behind the pretext of condemning “America’s imperialist ally in the Middle East”. Propagandists make the most of this opportunity. Putin’s top brass must have decided that Israel has nowhere to hide from the need to engage with Moscow on the Syrian issue. “So we can not be particularly ceremonial with the Israelis and accumulate points in front of the Arab countries,” Putin seems to have decided.
North Korea denies its weapons were used by Hamas
Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel gives it a chance to catch its breath. And Putin will try to make the most of it.
This comment expresses the personal opinion of the author Konstantin Eggert and may not coincide with the editorial positions.
Source: Deutsche Welle
2023-10-13 07:11:49
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