Israel’s Russia and China policy in spotlight after Hamas attack - analysis

Russia and China have been particularly critical of Israel in the wake of the Hamas massacre on October 7. This is part of a wider global trend by Russia and China to challenge the West, and Israel may be affected by Beijing and Moscow’s next moves.

Israel sought for many years to achieve results with a foreign policy oriented toward western democracies, but also sought to make inroads in other regions and with other powers. For the last two decades it appears that this policy might pay off in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. However the recent Hamas massacre has shown that attempts to maintain amicable ties with Russia, China and some countries have not paid off.  

Israel’s China and Russia policy has been controversial over the past decade because both  are considered US rivals now, even if the US also thought it could have more positive ties with both countries back in the early 2000s. Israel’s rapidly growing economy had interests in ties to Asia, and China was an inevitable choice for business opportunities. Russia was also important to Israel for numerous reasons and it became more important after it intervened in Syria in 2015.  

China's recent critical stance on Israel

In recent years China has become more critical of Israel’s policies. Beijing has also become closer to Iran via a 25-year deal. But that’s not the only thing happening. China has been watching Russia’s war in Ukraine closely. Beijing wonders whether the West will be able to defeat Russia in Ukraine and whether a new world order may be emerging. Towards that end China and Russia have been happy to see Middle East countries moving toward the SCO,  (the Shanghai Cooperation organization), BRICS and other organizations that bring Russia and China together. Israel’s peace partners in the Gulf  want more ties to China and also potentially want to hedge western ties with ties with Russia and other states. China was involved in brokering Iran-Saudi reconciliation.

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Friday that “the root of this problem lies in the long delay in the realization of Palestine’s aspiration to establish an independent state, and in the fact that the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people has not been corrected.”

Russia has also slammed Israel and accused it of an airstrike in Syria. This is not the first time Russia has done this, but it is rare. Furthermore Russia’s state media has highlighted Hamas thanks to Russia for its stance. Russia believes the Middle East is on the verge of a wider conflict. Russia’s TASS state media also has put out a report claiming that the US had warned about escalation in the region.  

Israel sought for years to be cautious on issues involving Russia. For instance, when it came to backing Ukraine Israel did not want to get too involved in the conflict after Russia invaded in February 2022. Israel has also come under pressure from the US in recent years to reduce China’s role in Israel. The pandemic and other developments have reduced China’s ties with Israel. The new conflict looks to affect relations even more.