Russia has been increasingly intervening in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly in the wake of the US-Palestinian estrangement since President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017 and transferred the US Embassy there in May. Meanwhile, US-sponsored Palestinian-Israeli negotiations remain stalled since 2014.
Most recently, on Nov. 28, Russian Ambassador to Palestine Haidar Rashid met with Hamas’ political bureau head Ismail Haniyeh in his office in the Gaza Strip and invited him to visit Russia soon. Haniyeh praised Russia's efforts on the Palestinian cause and Rashid further stressed efforts to support it.