Russian-Palestinian Relations: A Historical and Political Analysis

Abstract

The history of Russian-Palestinian relations goes back more than a thousand years. Both the relative geographical proximity and strong religious bonds of the Christian Orthodox faith for many centuries linked the Russian people with the Holy Land of Christianity. During the Soviet period, the Bolsheviks supported the national liberation movements of the developing peoples and recognized the social and political rights of the Palestinians, at a time when the West was unwilling to do so. The post-Soviet Russian Federation is no longer a revolutionary power and being relatively much weaker than the former Soviet Union, it must be cautious and self-restrained. However, the Palestinians and their cause have not been completely forgotten. In a cautious and apparently carefully balanced way, the present Russian leaders continue to be involved in Palestinian affairs and to support their national rights and future survival. Because of its geopolitical proximity to the Middle East, and the enduring cultural and religious traditions of its Christian Orthodox and Muslim populations, Moscow’s links with the Arabs, including the Palestinians, can be seen as “organic” and impossible to be obliterated in the near future. But post-Soviet Russia is certainly not an enemy of Israel and only tries to find an acceptable compromise that can satisfy the interests of all parties, including the basic needs of the Palestinian people.