Russia has consistently backed the Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip, calling Israel an “occupying power” and saying it does not have the right to self-defense. In a statement condemning Israel’s plans to expand settlements in the West Bank earlier this year, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was “categorically opposed” to any actions that “contravene international law” and “contradict the established foundations for the Middle East to be based on an exclusively peaceful resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including the creation of an independent, viable Palestinian state.” The statement also said that Israel should halt “any and all military activities against the Palestinians” and also affirmed Hamas’s right to “protect civilians.” Moscow has also consistently called for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which would see Israel and a Palestinian state living side by side in peace.
