Russia is deepening its ties with global forces of destabilization, chiefly Iran, Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, told the General Assembly on Monday. Erdan's comments came ahead of the parley Moscow is holding this week with Palestinian factions, including Hamas.
“This week, Russia will be hosting a Hamas delegation in Moscow! And not for the first time!” Erdan told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, which held a debate to mark two years to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.“Russia is one of the only places outside of the Middle East where Hamas terrorists and Houthi Jihadists are given the red-carpet treatment, even after October 7,” Erdan said.
“Russia is hosting those who are responsible for intentionally murdering babies, raping women, and burning families alive,” Erdan stated. He also added that "this meeting in Moscow is a result of something more dangerous. Russia is now deepening its ties with global forces of destabilization.”
His words underscored the shift in Israeli policy regarding Moscow since the start of the war, a conflict for which Jerusalem had initially attempted to hold a neutral line and maintain strong ties with both Russia and Ukraine.
The reason for Russian-Israeli ties cooling
The growing ties between Tehran and Moscow come as Iran has increased its military activity against Israel through attacks by its proxy groups: Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. It has cooled Russian-Israeli ties while strengthening those with Ukraine.
Erdan told the UNGA that “It is no secret that Hamas is merely one tentacle of Iran’s terror armies. This horde of death and destruction includes Hezbollah, the Houthis, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and other terror organizations. They are funded, trained, armed, and directed by Iran.”
Erdan elaborates by stating that “Iran is responsible for the attacks on American service members. Iran is behind the Houthi’s attacks on maritime trade. And it is Iran who supplies Russia with the drones that are attacking Ukrainian civilians."
This Iranian axis also includes “the Assad regime in Syria, the Kim regime in North Korea, and the Maduro regime in Venezuela," according to Erdan.
Parallels between Hamas-Israel war and Ukraine-Russia war.
Israel has drawn a parallel between Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Hamas’s October 7 attack against its southern communities, as he referred to the Hamas-led invasion of Israel in which over 1,200 people were killed and another 253 seized as hostages.
“Both of our countries – Ukraine and Israel – are fighting a battle for our survival,” Erdan stated, underscoring that Jerusalem and Kyiv were standing strong together in solidarity while “the free world stands on the sidelines divided.”
“The State of Israel has always and will continue to remain committed to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Erdan stated.
Attacking the UN
Erdan accuses the United Nations, particularly its Security Council, of failing to rise to the defense of both countries, wanting that if this continues, it risks “losing all legitimacy.”
“The Security Council is paralyzed, paralyzed in the face of violence, and the entire UN system is being held hostage by political interests,” he stressed.
The UN has instead been transformed into a “weapon against freedom and liberty.” Erdan stated.
“We, Israel and Ukraine, are the canaries in the coal mine. To the rest of the free world, I say: Wake up! Wake up!” Erdan stated.