{"id":6324,"date":"2023-10-18T16:34:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T13:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/?post_type=longreads&p=6324"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"minsk-mirrors-moscows-stance-on-israeli-war","status":"publish","type":"longreads","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/longreads\/6324\/","title":{"rendered":"Minsk mirrors Moscow’s stance on Israeli war"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Valeryj Karbalevi\u010d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The war has been going on for over a week. Many world leaders have commented, but Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka keeps silent, just as he did during Azerbaijan\u2019s recent offensive to capture Nagorno-Karabakh.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such a long silence is not typical for him. Usually, he does not shy away from commenting on global issues. Belarus is too small for \u0141uka\u0161enka who casts himself as a global player.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aspiring peacemaker turned pariah<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the past, \u0141uka\u0161enka actively intervened in crises in various regions, proposing his solutions. He even offered political asylum to former leaders Slobodan Milosevic, Saddam Hussein and Viktor Yanukovych.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0141uka\u0161enka likes to act as a peacemaker. He was very proud of the Minsk agreements on Ukraine. He tried to reconcile Armenia with Azerbaijan and Orthodox with Catholics. He proposed holding a summit in Minsk to discuss the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and making Minsk a global center for peacemaking, something like a new Geneva or Helsinki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That era is long gone. After the 2020 disputed presidential election, and especially after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the Belarusian ruler is as a world pariah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a recent resolution, the European Parliament called for him to be held accountable for his crimes. He is well aware of the West\u2019s attitude. At a press conference during Vladimir Putin’s visit to Minsk in December, \u0141uka\u0161enka said, “The two of us are co-aggressors, the most harmful and toxic people on the planet.” Although he said it with irony, he could barely conceal his bitterness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is telling that \u0141uka\u0161enka did not attend the UN High-Level Week in New York in September. He realizes that his peacekeeping efforts are out of place these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro-Palestinian bias<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The coverage of the Israeli war with Hamas by the Belarusian state-controlled media and pro-government Telegram channels is indicative of Minsk\u2019s bias in favor of Palestine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, the conflict defines the global dividing lines. The United States and the West are Israel’s allies, which strongly influences the sympathies and plans of other world players. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has supported Israel. Iran, which threw its weight behind Hamas, is a geopolitical ally of Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus has shifted its foreign policy energies toward the global South. Minsk sees the West as an enemy and is working to strengthen ties with Russia, China and countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Russia is making the same geopolitical turn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the recent CIS summit in Bishkek, \u0141uka\u0161enka called for closer cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS in the struggle against the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk has attempted to strengthen ties with Arab countries with \u0141uka\u0161enka recently visiting the United Arab Emirates and Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus and Israel have never had a strong relationship. The Israeli foreign ministry suspended the operation of its diplomatic mission in Minsk twice, citing financial constraints. \u0141uka\u0161enka visited the country only once in 2000. On a couple of occasions, he made controversial statements about Jews that drew criticism from Israeli politicians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hamas attack on Israel has diverted attention from the Russian war in Ukraine. Western military support for Kiev may decrease. Washington has already said that it will send arms to Israel; the Israeli army apparently needs Patriot systems. Global oil prices have risen, which also benefits Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In lockstep with Kremlin<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Minsk has not yet openly sided with the Palestinians. Some say that the Belarusian government does not want to further spoil relations with the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The argument does not stand up to criticism. In the last three years, Minsk has methodically and consistently aggravated its relations with the European Union and the United States. It has supported Russia in its war against Ukraine, engineered a migration crisis at its border with the EU, held numerous military exercises and encouraged Russia to deploy nuclear weapons to Belarus. In this context, condemning Israel would not make any difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is unlikely that Minsk is reluctant to support Palestine because Hamas militants have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians. The Russian atrocities in the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Bucha did not stop Minsk from unconditionally supporting Moscow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk maintains a neutral position because Belarus strictly follows Russia’s tracks. Moscow is striving to become a major player in the Middle East. In the last decade, Russia has pushed back on Western influence in the region, trying to regain the positions once held by the USSR. Russia\u2019s intervention in the war in Syria was perceived by the Kremlin as a huge success in this effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia has maintained close ties not only with Iran, but also with other key countries in the region, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Meanwhile, the United States reduced its involvement in the region under the Barack Obama and Donald Trump administrations. Therefore, Putin’s October 10 statement that the “sharp aggravation of the situation in the Middle East” is a “vivid example of the failure of the policy of the United States” in the region is inaccurate. After all, exactly the same accusation could be leveled against Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putin says that Moscow is ready to broker peace between Israel and Palestine. This explains Russia\u2019s neutral position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Minsk is currently strictly following Russia’s lead, its position on the Gaza war is only a reflection of the Kremlin’s line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Valeryj Karbalevi\u010d The war has been going on for over a week. Many world leaders have commented, but Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka keeps silent, just as he did during Azerbaijan\u2019s recent offensive to capture Nagorno-Karabakh. Such a long silence is not typical for him. Usually, he does not shy away from commenting on global issues. Belarus […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":5799,"template":"","rubric":[24],"class_list":["post-6324","longreads","type-longreads","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-theviewer"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMinsk mirrors Moscow's stance on Israeli war | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"By Valeryj Karbalevi\u010d The war has been going on for over a week. 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