Whenever the US and Israel commit injustice in the Arab region, the Arab satellite channels, which claim the know the balance of power in international relations, say the Russians will stand in the face of the Americans. They also claim that the Russians are capable of tilting the balance of international justice in favor of the Arabs. My question to those bettors of satellite channels that spread misinformation is: Where were the Russians during the Israeli aggression on Gaza? Have you even heard a single word out of Russia during the war? Russia may be the only country in the world that did not take a stance towards the Israeli aggression on Gaza. Russia is also among the few important countries that did not witness a demonstration denouncing the Israeli aggression. It was busy with the issue of natural gas with Ukraine.
The Arabs, who were relying on the Russian role, were shocked by the absence of such a role in Gaza. This is because they understand international relations on the basis of hopes rather than reality.
I can count numerous articles by Arab writers who were talking about the Russian role in solving the Arab-Israeli conflict, especially after the agent of the Russian intelligence Mr. Putin assumed power. Those writers thought that Putin was a patriotic Russian, who will never leave the world arena for the US to play in. They also thought that it is Russia that will - on behalf of the Arab - face the US and Israel.
We heard and read a lot about the Russian role that will put a stop to the US hegemony that adopts a double standard policy in favor of Israel. We waited, but the Russians have not said a single word regarding what happened in Gaza as if Russia itself has been wiped off the world map.
Al-Arabiya TV channel correspondent Saad al-Silawi told me that he was a correspondent of a Jordanian paper in Baghdad during Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait and that the Iraqi Ministry of Information officials said that a Russian general told them his country was ready to launch a war against the US if it insisted on fighting Iraq to compel it to get out of Kuwait. The next day, the paper's main story said Russia will soon wage a war against the US. The paper promised its readers to publish the details of that in an interview between its correspondent in Baghdad and a Russian senior general.
When al-Silawi went to meet with the Russian general, he was stunned by knowing that he is a retired general and works as chief editor of a quarterly journal published by the Russian Defense Ministry.
Al-Silawi added: "I looked at him and I said how can this retired official be a source of information? I am more important than him because I am, at least, a correspondent of a daily newspaper, but he is a correspondent of a magazine published every three months!" Al-Silawi told his chief editor these facts to try to find a solution to contain this press scandal. However, the chief editor told al-Silawi to continue in the hope that the Russians may read the paper and know that they should intervene. I narrated this story to illustrate that some Arab journalists publish what reflects their hopes and desires even if it has nothing to do with the truth.
After the Gaza War, I think that those who talk about the Russian role should reconsider their analyses that are based on hopes and wishes. However, I do not think they will do so because they are simply convinced that the readers forget.
Finally, could not who remained from the Leftist Arabs in Russia stage a single strike in Moscow? Have they left this for London, Washington and the capitals of the Western imperialism to stage demonstrations on their behalf? It is a mere question.