Yorgos Mitralias
Posted January 22, 2024
THOSE WHO STILL have doubts about the existence of “similarities” between the wars waged by Mr. Putin and Mr. Netanyahu against Ukraine and the Palestinians, respectively, can now be reassured that their doubts have been finally and irrevocably dispelled: Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s Foreign Minister and Mr. Putin’s right-hand man, categorically asserts to the official Russian news agency RIA Novosti, which depends on the government of the Russian Federation, that “Israel has similar objectives to those of Russia”!
And Mr. Lavrov even hastens to point out that Israel’s objectives in its current campaign of ethnic cleansing and extermination of the Palestinian people, namely “the complete destruction of the Hamas movement” and “the elimination of all extremism in Gaza” are similar to the “demilitarization” and “denazification” that Moscow has been pursuing in Ukraine since the start of the offensive in February 2022!*
And to leave no doubt about what he has said, Mr. Lavrov concludes, in the full RIA Novosti text which we publish below, with what sounds very much like praise for Mr. Netanyahu, since he points out that, unlike his predecessor, the current Israeli Prime Minister has avoided making any statements against Russia, despite international criticism and finding himself in ‘a difficult situation, and, above all, ‘has refused to send military aid to Ukraine’”!
But who is Mr. Lavrov addressing with these thunderous statements? And what is the purpose of these particularly cynical statements by the Russian Foreign Minister, which will certainly please neither the more or less fervent supporters of Mr. Putin’s war against Ukraine, nor those who unreservedly support Mr. Netanyahu’s war against the Palestinians?
The answer goes back, on the one hand, to the Kremlin’s traditional indifference to the “powerless,” whom it couldn’t care less about, whether they support Russia or not. And on the other hand, to the Kremlin’s permanent preoccupation, and therefore that of Russian diplomacy, that is nothing other than rapprochement with the “powerful,” and above all with the United States, by making Putin’s Russia appear to be the most consistent defender of what it calls “Western civilization,” in other words the interests of capitalism.
In other words, Mr. Lavrov is speaking first and foremost to the American establishment, and secondarily to the European establishment, where he knows there are more and more “sympathetic ears” willing at least to consider Russian arguments favorably. And he does so by explaining that Russia is doing no more in Ukraine than Israel is doing in Gaza, with the support of virtually the entire West. The difference, however, is that the West, and especially the United States, are pursuing an “absurd” policy of double standards, refusing to do in the Ukrainian case what they are doing in the Palestinian case, which is, after all, contrary to their long-term interests.
In short, Mr. Lavrov is lecturing the West, as Mr. Putin usually does, trying to make it understand that Russia is not an adversary but rather a friend, as the two have common interests. And it is obviously for this reason that this important interview did not receive the attention it deserved, that the international media passed it over in eloquent silence and that it therefore remains totally unknown. As for the various “naive” people who think that the colonial great-Russian Moon is made of green anti-imperialist cheese, they are only good as disposable “useful idiots” for Russian propaganda…
Conclusion: By stating categorically that Putin’s Russia and Netanyahu’s Israel have the same objectives in Ukraine and Gaza, Mr Lavrov has done something he is not in the habit of doing: he has told the truth!
* In its summary, RIA Novosti refers only to the part of Lavrov’s interview in which the Russian Foreign Minister talks about Israel and its war against the Palestinians. Lavrov’s full interview (28/12/2023) is more eloquent than its summary, and can be consulted on the Russian Foreign Ministry website.
Israel pursuing similar goals to Russia – Lavrov
Thursday 28 December 2023, by RT News
The fight against Nazism is what historically unites Russia and the Middle Eastern country, the foreign minister said.
The declared goals of Israel in its ongoing operation against Hamas militants in Gaza seem nearly identical to Moscow’s in its campaign against the Ukrainian government, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said in an interview with RIA Novosti on Thursday.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) has been carrying out a relentless bombing campaign in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza over the past two months following a surprise Hamas attack on Israeli territories on October 7. The attack by the Palestinian militants left some 1,200 people dead and saw the kidnapping of over 200 hostages. Israel’s response, meanwhile, has reportedly cost the lives of over 21,000 people, according to Gaza health officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that the end goal of the IDF is the complete destruction of the Hamas movement in all its forms, as well as the elimination of all extremism in Gaza.
Lavrov, however, noted that these goals seem similar to “demilitarization” and “denazification,” which Moscow has been pursuing in Ukraine since it launched its offensive in February 2022.
The diplomat noted the hypocrisy demonstrated by Israel’s former government under Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who condemned Russia’s military operation and accused Moscow of attacking the civilian population and annexing parts of Ukraine. “This was unfair,” said Lavrov.
At the same time, the minister pointed out that the current Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu – who took office for a sixth term in December 2022 – has avoided making any statements against Russia, despite international criticism and finding himself in “a difficult situation.”
Lavrov further recalled that Netanyahu had held two phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that the Israelis had helped Moscow evacuate Russian citizens from Gaza.
“Therefore, we need to be very careful about our common history with Israel and, above all, the history of the fight against Nazism. This is the main thing that unites us historically,” Lavrov said.
Russia has repeatedly called on both Israel and Hamas to stop hostilities in Gaza, with Putin stating that the only way to resolve the Middle East crisis was through a “two-state” formula approved by the UN Security Council.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, has refused to send military aid to Ukraine and has instead offered himself as a potential mediator for peace talks between Moscow and Kiev.
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