Press review: Netanyahu names his peace terms and CIS chiefs ditch ties for informal talks

World Press 27 December, 2023 15:00

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has set forth three conditions for a potential Israeli-Palestinian peace deal; CIS leaders met informally in St. Petersburg to discuss the path forward; and Ukrainian lawmakers are taking up the issue of conscription reform amid massive battlefield losses for Kiev’s armed forces. These stories topped Wednesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.

Vedomosti: Netanyahu names three conditions for Gaza peace but experts see little chance

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined, in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, the three key conditions for a potential peace settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The first is the complete destruction of Hamas; the second is the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip; and the third is the deradicalization of the Palestinian population in Gaza. Experts interviewed by Vedomosti, however, see very little likelihood of Netanyahu’s conditions being implemented.

According to Lyudmila Samarskaya, a researcher at the Center for Middle East Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAS), each stage requires long-term efforts that would be fraught with numerous obstacles. The analyst also argued that the elimination of Hamas' organizational structure would appear to be a highly difficult task at this stage. "There is no doubt that the deradicalization of Palestinian society is an important component in resolving the Middle East conflict. However, technically speaking, it remains impossible to even imagine how the Israeli authorities would implement such a policy," she noted.

Ivan Bocharov, program coordinator at the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), agrees with Samarskaya. According to him, contrary to expectations, Hamas' favorability rating in Palestinian society has risen dramatically, and continued hostilities in Gaza will increase the popularity of its tactics not only in the Palestinian enclave, but also in the West Bank. "Even if Hamas ceases to exist as an organization, its ideology will live on. I wouldn't rule out other radical groups taking its place in the future," the analyst said. As a result, the problem of the radicalization of Palestinian society will not be resolved in the near future, especially not by force. Moreover, according to Bocharov, other Arab countries will not accept Israel's proposal for solving the Palestinian problem.

Samarskaya noted that the fighting in the Palestinian enclave is unlikely to stop anytime soon. At the same time, according to Bocharov, the Israeli military is gradually reducing the intensity of hostilities in Gaza and trying not to violate "red lines" in order to avoid drawing other external parties into the active fighting.

Izvestia: CIS leaders meet informally in St. Petersburg for discussion of path forward

Russia is set to assume the rotating chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) intergovernmental organization in 2024. Moscow will focus in this role on strengthening economic ties between the CIS member states and expanding the execution of trade settlements in national currencies, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at an informal summit of CIS leaders in St. Petersburg. Cooperation in combatting the politically driven distortion of history and glorification of Nazism will also be a priority, he noted. Experts interviewed by Izvestia noted that the CIS retains its reputation as a universal political forum for finding common solutions, which is especially important in the face of Western pressure.

Putin also noted that 2023 has been "extremely active and eventful for the CIS." He emphasized that trade turnover between CIS countries has been growing steadily over the past year, increasing by 2% to $83.7 bln.

According to Timofey Bordachev, program director of the international Valdai Discussion Club, all countries participating in the summit not only maintain economic relations with each other, but are also active within various intergovernmental platforms, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and also cooperate actively with China and India.

"The CIS countries are suffering from the same problems of economic globalization as a result of the West's actions. First of all, there is the economic war against Russia, with pressure on China and the collapse of the global financial infrastructure. As a result, at the summit, the leaders will be able to explore how to use the tools the CIS has at hand and the Commonwealth structure itself to counteract harmful external influences and, at the same time, seize new opportunities," Bordachev told Izvestia.

The main goal of Russia's CIS chairmanship will be to maintain and strengthen the close ties between the peoples of the CIS member states, as well as to promote goodwill and good neighborliness throughout the Commonwealth, Putin concluded.

After most of the summit guests had departed, Putin held bilateral talks with the leaders of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Izvestia that the parties’ discussions focused on cooperation in the gas sector.