Late November and early December saw continuing intensification of Russian diplomacy in the Middle East, with some elements speaking to the systemic nature of the effort.

Leading off were movements toward an Arab-Israeli settlement. On Dec. 3, at a Russian-Arab cooperation forum in Khartoum, the Russian representatives pressed the issue to move toward a greater degree of consensus with the Arab participants, despite ongoing differences on the Syria issue. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, both sides focused on the “need to break the deadlock in efforts to achieve a Palestinian-Israeli settlement,” so “the Palestinian people can realize their national aspirations and live in their own state in peace and security.”

Lavrov called Russian criticism of the Quartet — the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States — justified, as it had “long remained inactive.” He reiterated Moscow's proposal that essentially boils down to “Arabization of the Quartet.” Lavrov stated, “We want this forum, too, to become more active, but not in its old format. We want it to involve the Arab League as a full-fledged participant, since the Arab Peace Initiative opens the way to a sustainable and lasting settlement. I hope that our Western partners will hear these proposals.” Moscow has gone on record saying that it would not object to having a Middle East settlement put on the UN Security Council's agenda.

In this regard, it should be noted that just a day before the French parliament voted on Dec. 2 to call on the national government to recognize the state of Palestine, President Francois Hollande told France 24, RFI and television networks that he planned to organize an international conference on a Palestinian-Israeli settlement. According to media reports, the French initiative assumes that a final settlement could be negotiated within two years. Moscow will hardly be pleased, however, if the French intention is to delegate the negotiating process to the auspices of just one mediator — the United States. How would it fit into a statement Hollande made in a televised interview, saying that in this matter, “France should take the initiative in the search for a diplomatic solution”? True, the French president has made an attempt to play first fiddle in the relationship between the European Union and Russia, for instance making a surprise Dec. 6 visit to Moscow, where he and President Vladimir Putin talked about the Middle East, among other things, and the Russian president said that his country was supportive of “Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” Crimea excluded.