In the midst of the escalation between Israel and Hamas, for more than a week, and the possibilities it portends of expanding the scope of the conflict, in light of the weak chances of ceasefire calls and mediations, in light of the escalation of the war, questions arise about Moscow’s role in light of what was launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin, From an offer for mediation between the Israeli and Palestinian parties.
During the CIS summit in Bishkek, Putin said that Moscow is “ready to act as a mediator” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, expressing his “deep concern” about the escalation of violence, and stressing the “urgent need to stop the bloodshed.”
The Russian President added, “Russia is ready to coordinate with all partners with constructive approaches, and we proceed from the assumption that there is no alternative to resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict except negotiations.”
Putin warns Israel against launching a ground operation in Gaza
The chances of the Russian role
While observers believe that, by virtue of Russia’s traditional presence in crises in the Middle East, most notably the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and its relations with both parties, Moscow can play a pivotal role in mediating and curbing this raging war.
Other analysts doubt Moscow’s ability to carry out effective and effective mediation to stop the current raging conflict, pointing to the weakness of Russia’s pressure and influence tools, in light of the presence of larger international players more involved in the crisis, and in light of its great preoccupation with the war in Ukraine.
Russian researcher and expert in international relations, Timur Dowidar, says in an interview with Sky News Arabia:
Putin did not propose integrated mediation, but rather expressed his willingness to play its role. It is true that there are good relations between him and Benjamin Netanyahu in particular, but this does not mean that Russia has a great influence on Israel, and the latter did not ask for that at all. Despite this, Moscow’s good relations with both Israel and Palestine enable it to play a constructive and active role in the event that a desire emerges on the part of both sides of the conflict for its intervention. There are no clear and crystallized Russian visions or plan for such mediation, and the Russian position often revolves around the necessity of a two-state solution, a proposal that seems impractical and realistic in light of the current circumstances and balances of power, and the non-implementation of international resolutions related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and with the division of the Palestinians themselves, which plays a negative role in Their rightful cause is suffering from fragmentation and decline, and for all of this, Russia has no intention of entering into mediation, the horizon of which seems vague and blocked. Let us not forget that Russia itself is immersed in the Ukrainian war file, and is not able to involve itself in the currently explosive Middle East file.
For his part, Rami Al-Qalioubi, a professor at the Moscow Higher School of Economics, said in an interview with the “Sky News Arabia” website:
This is not the first time that Moscow has proposed mediation between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and it is able, in principle, in light of the current major escalation, to play the role of mediator, given the relations it enjoys with the parties to the conflict, including Hamas. Moscow’s practical ability to put pressure on Israel is limited, and relations between the two sides are marred by major differences, especially after the Israeli position on the Ukraine war and its alignment with the West against Russia. The mediator must meet the conditions for possessing the tools to attract and pressure both sides of the conflict, which makes the chances of the planned Russian mediation slim, which, if successful, may be limited to the release of Israeli prisoners held by Hamas who hold Russian citizenship, for example.
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2023-10-15 20:24:08
