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The Palestinian Stance on the Invasion of Ukraine

(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Yoni Ben Menachem - The Palestinian leadership is hesitant to make declarations on Russia's military invasion of Ukraine. The PA and Hamas are much more sympathetic toward Russia than toward the U.S. On the one hand, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas does not want to lose the Biden administration's support for reopening the PLO offices in Washington and the American consulate to the Palestinians in Jerusalem. But, on the other hand, he also needs Russia's support for his initiative for an international peace conference. Abbas has long-standing ties with Moscow; some years ago, he claimed he had served as a KGB agent while earning his doctorate in Moscow. The Palestinians are well aware that Ukrainian President Zelensky is a Jew. In their view, he is also a Zionist who backed the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's united capital, as well as Israel's Guardian of the Walls Operation in Gaza in May 2021. Some Palestinians welcome the Russian army's invasion of Ukraine in the hope that it will lead to a new world order in which U.S. power and hegemony will decline. They want to see the U.S., Israel's strong ally, weakened, which would inevitably lead to Israel's weakening as well. On February 26, 2022, Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzook tweeted: "One of the most important lessons of the Russian-Ukrainian war is that the era of America as the world's sole bulwark has come to an end." The Palestinian Authority needs Russia, but at the same time, it does not want trouble with Ukraine, where 2,500 Palestinians are currently living, mostly students.
2022-03-03 00:00:00
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