Russia considers role in peace talks, Gaza energy

Events of the Arab Spring and the Syrian conflict have somewhat eclipsed the problem of the Middle East agreement. However, in Moscow the view still prevails that a failure to resolve this conflict, first of all between the Palestinians and Israel, is one of the main sources of instability in the region.

The Russian political elite feel discontent with the practical change in mediation in the peace process from the collective to the bilateral format. In the opinion of Russian politicians and diplomats, the “new shuttle diplomacy” of US Secretary of State John Kerry most likely will not be successful. It pushed aside other participants in the Middle East quartet of mediators to the margins of the process, including a player like Russia that possesses a high potential for influence on the situation. There is too little time left until the end of the nine-month term designated to achieve a final agreement.

I am under the impression that the Russian leadership considers it possible and necessary — including to improve the climate of Russian-US relations — to transfer to the Middle East agreement the successful experience of the partner interaction of Moscow and Washington on the issue of destroying the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal and organizing the intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva, as well as in the dialogue of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, or P5+1, with Iran.

While fully understanding the US potential and President Barack Obama’s vested interest in attaining success in the Middle East settlement, Moscow is still convinced that only collective efforts can bring real benefits. At the same time, the dynamics of the situation developing in Palestine may become irreversible. As a prominent Russian diplomat told me on condition of anonymity, “One can only express regret that [Palestinian President] Mahmoud Abbas is putting all his eggs in one basket — the American one.”