Russian President Vladimir Putin hasn't reached out to Israel since the attack by Hamas last Saturday, focusing his statements in the past few days instead on the rights of the Palestinian people.
"The Palestinian problem is in the heart of every person in this region…And everything that is happening — not only now, but what has been happening for decades — is perceived as a manifestation of injustice, which has been elevated to some incredible degree," Putin said on Wednesday.
This lack of a strong condemnation by Moscow and what is being perceived in Israel as false equivalence between Hamas and the Israeli government, reflects an increase in the chilling of relations between Russia and Israel.
Speaking at the Arab League meeting on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was “deeply concerned that hundreds of Israelis and Palestinians have died and that the Gaza Strip has been declared a target for Israeli retaliation,” without pointing a finger at Hamas.
