Hamas

This article aims at examining Russia's relations with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Moscow's motives and goals for the establishment and enhancement of those ties. We explore Russia's worldview to position the Middle East and Hamas in a pre-established frame, subsequently examining the reasons behind the development of these relationships. This article sets out to answer a two-fold question: What has been Russia's aim of receiving Hamas leaders and establishing high-level relations with this movement since 2006, and what components have influenced these interactions at international and regional levels? The paper argues that Russia considers its relations with Muslim nations and movements not only a foreign policy principle but also a domestic issue. Hence, it seeks to take advantage of the U.S. retrenchment from the region to expand its influence, play a mediatory role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and elevate its reputation among Muslims inside and outside the country. Recognizing Hamas' position, Russia resolved to develop its ties with Hamas' leaders, started negotiating with all the parties in the Palestinian national reconciliation process, and provided political, economic, cultural, financial, and security support to eventually affect Hamas' stance vis-à-vis Israel.

The Islamic Resistance Front planned a massive attack on the positions of the Zionist regime on October 7, 2023, and presented it in the form of the Battle of Al-Aqsa Storm. The main question of this research, which was developed based on the descriptive-analytical method, is to evaluate and examine the extent to which ethical principles were applied and observed in the recent battle between Hamas and the Zionist regime, looking at the theory of just war and within the framework of the theories of Al-Farabi and Michael Wallers. Therefore, according to the research findings, the Al-Aqsa Storm operation itself had a moral justification in the form of the right of Palestinians to self-determination, while the invocation of self-defense by the Zionist regime and the brutal attacks against civilians do not fit into positive moral practices and self-defense. However, the Zionist regime produces the power of language in what can be called the seduction of power, something to which not only humans in general, but also the victims in particular are exposed, which in turn often encourages and justifies oppression.