MOSCOW, Oct 20, Mikhail Katkov, Viktor Zhdanov. Actions Israel's Gaza Strip has undermined Western diplomatic efforts to win the Global South over to Ukraine, the Financial Times reports. Moscow is no longer a “world pariah,” the publication sadly states. As unnamed officials and diplomats told the newspaper, the crisis in the Middle East was a “gift from heaven” for Russia. Why this happened is in the material .
Diplomatic disasterFor more than a year and a half, the United States, Great Britain, France and other leaders of the European Union tried to prove to the international community that Russia’s special operation in Ukraine is a struggle between authoritarianism and democracy, between evil and good. In August, Western diplomats gathered representatives of 58 countries in Saudi Arabia to convince them of the correctness of their position and at the same time accept the so-called Zelensky plan as the basis for resolving the conflict. It was not possible to achieve much progress, but the meeting participants at least recognized the need to preserve world order.
A girl wounded as a result of an Israeli airstrike in the city of Deir el-Balah 
However, as the Financial Times notes , the Western response to the bombing of the Gaza Strip demonstrated to the Global South that the rules of the game could be reconsidered. As a result, the world began to be divided into supporters and opponents of Israel's actions, while Ukraine found itself on the sidelines of the information agenda.
“We have definitely lost the battle for the Global South. All the work we did with its countries in relation to Ukraine is lost,” the publication quotes one of the senior G7 diplomats. “Forget about the rules and the world order. They will never listen to us again.” «What we say about Ukraine must also apply to Gaza. Otherwise we will lose all trust.» According to him, Brazilians, South Africans and Indonesians no longer have any reason to believe what Westerners say about the value of human rights.
The British media emphasizes that developing countries support the struggle of the Palestinian people, as they view it through the prism of self-determination and resistance to US hegemony. Moreover, American diplomats admitted to the Financial Times that this worries them greatly, but the White House is not going to reconsider relations with Israel.
Doves against hawks It is noteworthy that at the UN Security Council the Americans twice blocked resolutions to end hostilities between Hamas and the IDF. For the first time, Moscow came up with such an initiative; it was supported by China, Gabon, Mozambique and the UAE. France, Great Britain and Japan took Washington's side. Brazil made the second attempt — everyone voted except the United States. Instead of calling for peace, Joe Biden visited Tel Aviv, where he said that Israel did not bomb a hospital in the Gaza Strip.
US President Joe Biden arrived for Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington
In addition, in Western countries, protests in support of Palestine are being dispersed. Demonstrations took place in the USA, France, Italy and Great Britain. At the same time, the Algerian footballer of the French “Nice” Youssef Atal was forced to apologize for publishing a video in support of the Palestinian people.
Dutch midfielder Anwar El Ghazi was suspended from training at the German football club Mainz for a social media post saying Palestine should be free. And Golden Ball winner Karim Benzema, who plays in Saudi Arabia, was called a “Hamas agent” for criticizing Israel.
Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, managed to discuss the conflict with the heads of Syria, Iran, Egypt, China, Palestine and Israel. In each case, he advocated for a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians. As a result, Hamas stated that it appreciated the position of the Russian President.
Unbreakable friendship»The discord between the West and the countries of the South is indeed one of the consequences of the escalated conflict in Palestine. However, even before this, contradictions were growing, which was obvious at the meeting in Jeddah, where consultations were held on a peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict. Saudi Arabia then proposed an alternative to the one supported in the West Zelensky's plan. It was not possible to impose this on the G20. Many states refuse to hold negotiations without Russia. The split has worsened and has taken on this configuration,» Andrey Suzdaltsev, associate professor at the Higher School of Economics, said in an interview with him.
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting in New York
Indicative , the political scientist noted, was the summit in Beijing taking place during Biden’s visit to Tel Aviv. A recombination of the South took place there, which will now be very difficult to destroy.
“After the West’s transition to confrontation and isolation of Russia, it quickly became clear that this was not a realistic position. Our country occupies a special place in world politics, economics and culture. The Western course has encountered active, targeted and systemic opposition from Moscow. This is transforming Russia into a natural center of gravity for all states that do not accept Western hegemony and have the will to resist it. In recent events, the expansion of BRICS has become significant,» says Alexei Zudin, senior lecturer at MGIMO University of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Because of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict During the war, the deterioration of relations between the West and the South was especially evident. “In Riyadh, Blinken was forced to wait all night for a meeting with the Saudi prince. Other countries refused to meet with both the US Secretary of State and President Biden. Thousands of protests against Israel are taking place even outside the Arab world,” the specialist recalled.
Power politics in the Gaza Strip led to the isolation of the United States and Israel, experts emphasize. The real attitude towards Washington's actions on the world stage is increasingly obvious. Russia, which consistently pursues a sovereign course, is becoming an alternative for the Global South.