March 02, 2006, 8:23 a.m.
A Russian Ruse
Putin's invitation to Hamas clarifies Russia's unprincipled policies.

By Ilya Bourtman

On March 3, Hamas envoys will arrive in Moscow. Their Russian hosts
have prepared a banquet fit for a sultan. Gifts will be abundant.
Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has offered to provide Hamas
with foreign aid. There may even be shipments of everything from guns
to helicopters. Moscow's position undercuts the strategy of U.S.,
European, and Israeli officials who had hoped that isolation would
encourage moderation.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice remained composed in the face of
Vladimir Putin's shocking invitation to the group. She merely demanded
that Moscow "send a firm message," but privately the Bush
Administration was irate. It was one thing for Hamas to receive
invitations from international pariahs like Iran or Venezuela. And
although Turkey's invitation was a disappointment, Prime Minister
Erdogan's antics and acceptance of Islamist capital has long since made
Ankara irrelevant to most U.S. or Middle Eastern policymakers. But
Moscow was a member of the Quartet, and host of the 2006 G-8 Summit.

Israeli politicians were likewise caught off-guard. Hadn't Putin been
the first Russian president ever to travel to Israel? In Tel Aviv last
April he said, "[T]here is the will and desire on both sides to
strengthen our friendship, trust and cooperation and to build a
constructive partnership together." Hadn't trade relations between the
two countries doubled under Putin's tenure? Hadn't senior delegations
from both countries visited each other in the past several years,
signing lucrative energy deals, swapping military technologies, and
even sharing counter-terrorism intelligence? And hadn't attacks on
Russia's theatres and schools created solidarity between two peoples
plagued by Islamist terrorism? Many Israeli officials had come to trust
Putin. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a friend of Putin's, told
the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth that Russia's "intentions had
changed."

Reacting to Moscow's overture, Israeli cabinet minister Meir Sheetrit
reflected widespread feelings of betrayal, telling Ha'aretz that Putin
had "stabbed Israel in the back."

The Israelis were not the only ones duped by Putin. In recent years,
Middle East analysts in the U.S. and Europe have viewed Russian-Israeli
relations through rose-tinted glasses. Leading defense analysts
published articles in nationwide Russian newspapers calling for
expanded military cooperation between Moscow and Jerusalem, while in
Israel, Ha'aretz and the Jerusalem Post sang Putin's praises. Even in
Washington, typically sober Putin-watchers praised the Russian
president for recognizing Israel as a "strategic ally." One researcher
writing recently for the influential Middle East Quarterly asserted
that Putin was pursuing a deliberately "pro-Israel" policy.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. Even as the Kremlin
signed weapons deals with Jerusalem, the Russian government sold
high-end surface-to-air missiles to Syria - a rogue nation which
supports Hezbollah operations out of Lebanon. Of even greater danger,
Russia continued construction of a nuclear reactor in Bushehr, Iran -
even after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel to
be "wiped out from the map of the world." Throughout, Putin remained
steadfast in his refusal to recognize Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist
organizations. Russian officials sought help from Israeli intelligence
services in dealing with their "Chechen problem" while continuing to
support terrorist organizations calling for the destruction of Israel.

If there is any silver-lining to Putin's invitation to Hamas, it is the
exposure of Putin's true colors. Putin has crafted a two track,
deliberately ambiguous policy towards the Middle East, allowing Russia
to feign friendly relations with Israel while also developing competing
interests with Arab countries in the Middle East. The Kremlin operates
according to Lord Palmerston's old adage that "Nations have no
permanent friends and no permanent enemies; only interests." While a
clever strategy for a weakened Russia, Putin's duplicity poses serious
dangers to the region.

This is not the first time that Putin has used Israel as a marionette,
nor will it be the last. Only last April, having failed to stop the
color revolutions sweeping through the former Soviet republics, and
facing falling polling numbers, Putin asked Israeli officials if he
could travel to Jerusalem. Putin's visit laundered his image, but not
his policy. His latest offer to Hamas comes as Moscow seeks to reaffirm
its standing as a major international actor.

So long as U.S., Israeli, and certain European statesmen believe that
Putin shares their interests on matters of geopolitics, let alone
energy security, they will see their interests undermined again and
again. Moscow's gala for Hamas should serve as evidence to the West
that Putin is as likely to be working against them as with them.

  - Ilya Bourtman, born in Moscow, is completing a master's degree at
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies.