On September 18, 2024, Kimberly Marten, professor of political science, published new research in The Washington Quarterly, titled “Upsetting the Balance: Why Russia Chose Hamas over Israel.” In her paper, Marten analyzes Russia’s decision to support Hamas following the events of October 7, 2023, marking an unusual deviation from Moscow’s long-standing foreign policy of balancing its position among key states in the Middle East. So far, Russia’s course of action has harmed the country’s security relationship with Israel and risks an unintended escalation of the conflict in Syria.
Through her research, Marten explores three possible explanations for the Kremlin’s questionable move. She explains that Putin’s decision could be an effort to appeal to the global South as an ally that is not aligned with the values of the United States, one of Israel’s biggest supporters. Alternatively, Putin could have chosen to support Hamas in an attempt to avoid domestic unrest and terrorism within Russia itself. Ultimately, though, Marten concludes that Putin likely decided to support Hamas instead of Israel to strengthen Russia’s relationship with Tehran - a rationale which, Marten contends, demonstrates the growing sway of Iran as a crucial weapons supplier to Russia.