Unlike the pro-Tel Aviv stance by Washington, Moscow has maintained a clear position demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
In a speech at the Doha Forum on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov defended his country’s position regarding the war in Gaza.
“I do not think that I am a hypocrite or that Russia is hypocritical,” he said.
Lavrov’s comments came in the context of a question that accused Russia of double standards regarding its position in Gaza if compared to that of Syria.
In his remarks, Lavrov said that it is completely unacceptable that Israel is using Hamas’ operation on October 7 to justify its collective punishment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Not in a Vacuum
Moreover, Russia’s top diplomat said that even the October 7 operation did not happen in a vacuum.
It was a result of “decades and decades of a blockade (on Gaza) and decades and decades of unfulfilled promises to the Palestinians that they would have a state, living side (by) side with Israel in security and good neighborliness”.
Lavrov called for international monitoring on the ground in Gaza to prevent such hostilities.
In an interview with the popular Russia Today TV show ‘Worlds Apart’, Palestinian journalist and editor of The Palestine Chronicle, Dr. @RamzyBaroud discussed the modern Palestinian struggle and the persistence of the Palestinian Resistance.https://t.co/ZDgcU9tLfp pic.twitter.com/tm7eOliRul
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) November 13, 2023
Israeli Protests
In a related development, the office of right-wing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Israeli leader had protested in a telephone conversation on Sunday Moscow’s position at the United Nations Security Council regarding the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
Unlike the pro-Tel Aviv stance by Washington, which culminated on Friday with a veto of a ceasefire resolution, Moscow has maintained a clear position demanding an immediate and unconditional ceasefire.
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia has gone as far as arguing that, as an Occupying Power, Israel does not have the right to self-defense.
President Vladimir Putin himself has spoken out repeatedly in criticism of the Israeli war, which he described as the result of the failure of US diplomacy in the Middle East.
The strong Russian stance has proven a major irritant to Israel.
In an official letter by Netanyahu’s office, the Israeli leader claimed that “any country that would suffer a criminal terrorist attack such as Israel experienced would act with no less force than the one Israel is using.”
As of Sunday, Israel has killed 17,997 Palestinians and wounded over 49,000 more. The majority of those killed are reportedly women and children.
🚨GAZA HEALTH MINISTRY:
⚠️The number of Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 7 is 17,997 and 49,229 wounded.
⚠️297 martyrs arrived at Gaza hospitals in the last 24 hours.
⚠️A large number of Palestinians, dead or wounded, are still… pic.twitter.com/ztMAuNa6kl
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) December 10, 2023
Evolving Russian Stance
The Israeli statement said that Netanyahu has expressed his “full rejection” of what he described as “dangerous Russian cooperation with Iran.”
In a recent editorial, Palestinian journalist and author Ramzy Baroud argued that “in the early phase of the Israeli war with the Palestinian Resistance in the besieged Gaza Strip, Russia had taken a guarded position, condemning the targeting of civilians, while calling for a comprehensive political solution.”
“But, days later, Moscow’s position began evolving into a stronger stance, namely condemning the Israeli war on Gaza, Washington’s blind support for Tel Aviv and the US’ intransigence during UN Security Council meetings,” he added.
“But for various reasons, the Russian position did not evolve beyond political rhetoric, however strong, into tangible strategies. Time will tell whether Russia will be able to stake a claim and help define a new Middle East in the post-Gaza war.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
