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Why BRICS are not Israel’s allies and Putin’s role explained

Harry November 4, 2024

Between 22-24 October Russian President Vladimir Putin Russia, which hosted the 2024 BRICS summit, hosted 36 world leaders.

This conference was the first meeting of the BRICS group after its expansion to include four new members (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates) in addition to the original five members (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). (UAE).

Other countries joined as partners or as candidate new members.

The expanded body brings together countries representing approximately 41% of the global population and 24% of global GDP.

BRICS It aims to promote cooperation between major emerging economies and increase their economic and political influence.

BRICS is considering a new currency. (credit: SHUTTERSTOCK)

Its main aim is to offer an alternative to Western-led institutions such as the G7 economic grouping.

It aims to reduce dependence on the US dollar in international trade. The group’s aims fully coincide with Putin’s internal and external desires, which he does not try to hide.

At an open meeting held on October 22, 2022, the Russian President said: “The unipolar world is now history… The West cannot rule humanity alone, and the majority of nations no longer want to put up with it. this… A future world order is taking shape before our eyes.”

BRICS is an excellent tool to help Putin achieve his goal.

The visceral anti-Israel stance it adopts is perhaps unsurprising, given the inclusion of Iran and South Africa in its membership.

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The summit was held in Kazan, Russia, so the declaration issued when it concluded was called the Kazan Declaration.

BRICS leaders devote eight of the 35 paragraphs of this document to condemning Israel in one way or another.

For example, in paragraph 30, they express “serious concern” about the escalation of violence in Gaza and the West Bank, without mentioning the terrible events of October 7, 2023, or even mentioning the word “Hamas”. We attribute it to the “Israeli military offensive that led to mass killings and injuries of civilians, forced displacement, and widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure.”

They call for an immediate ceasefire and the release of all hostages and detainees “from both sides”, with no distinction made between illegally captured civilians and people imprisoned for their crimes.

We condemned ‘Israeli attacks’

They condemned “Israeli attacks on humanitarian operations,” offering no evidence to support the accusation.

Unsurprisingly, they approve of the interim measures taken by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) “in legal proceedings initiated by South Africa against Israel.” They call for a two-state solution based on what they call the “June 1967 borders” and for the “State of Palestine” to be given full membership in the United Nations.

In paragraph 31 the statement is directed towards Lebanon. Here, BRICS members “condemn the loss of civilian lives and the massive damage caused to civilian infrastructure as a result of Israeli attacks on populated areas, without mentioning Hezbollah or any reference to the incessant bombardment of Israel’s north since October 8, 2023.” “We call on Lebanon to immediately stop military actions.”

Among other things, they condemn what they call “the intentional act of terrorism that detonated hand-held communications devices in Beirut on September 17, 2024,” claiming that it “led to the loss of life and injury to dozens of civilians.” ”

They make no mention of the fact that the devices in question were only given to Hezbollah members and other dignitaries such as Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani.

The Kazan Declaration makes clear that BRICS has turned a blind eye to terrorist activities aimed at destroying Israel and its people and has done nothing but unreservedly condemn the steps taken by Israel to defend itself.

Putin’s personal victory

The summit was undoubtedly a personal victory for Putin. Shunned and sanctioned by the West, it was here that he managed to step onto the world stage and host a major meeting of global leaders.

In Kazan, Putin showed that he had been personally rehabilitated by much of the world and that an alternative to Western domination was a real possibility.

Topics discussed included how emerging economies can cooperate more fully in a variety of areas.

In addition, it had a positive impact on one of Putin’s pet projects: a new international payment system that would break the dominance of the US dollar.

NEWSWEEK MAGAZINE believes that the overall goal of BRICS leaders such as Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping is to accelerate and support the transition from the United States as the sole superpower to a multipolar world that balances the United States and its Western allies.

He points out that the Russian economy has managed to readjust following the sanctions imposed on it following its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

It did this with the help of its key partner, China, with the help of Iranian weapons supplied for use against Ukraine.

Putin is now looking to expand trade with India through strategic partnerships, especially in energy resources and defense.

Newsweek says: “These partnerships are Putin’s multipolar vision in practice, and they undermine the ability of the U.S.-led West to wield its power and enforce the global norms it desires through the sanctions and other economic and diplomatic tools at its disposal.” Its overall aim is to fragment the US-led transatlantic and global order so that Russia can exert more power regionally and internationally.

Allied with the BRICS demand for economic, financial and political independence from the West, staunchly supported by the United States and much of the free world, it is a rejection of the principle that Israel has the right to defend itself against genocidal and unlawful terrorism. Iran and its axis of evil.

In fact, it is questionable whether BRICS, as an organization of which Iran and South Africa are prominent members, views Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria as terrorist organizations.

This myopia lies at the basis of radical condemnations of Israel.

Israel should not be threatened

BUT ISRAEL does not need to submit to being obscured and isolated.

A closer look at the list of BRICS members reveals the presence of the UAE, a partner of the Abraham Accords, while Saudi Arabia, which has been invited to join but remains uncertain, is also hovering on the sidelines.

Other countries that have good relations with Israel, such as Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Belarus, are also among the possible new members.

Putin has a nuanced attitude towards Israel; this attitude may be affected by the results of the upcoming US presidential election.

Personal interests may well override demands by Iran, South Africa, or Turkey (another potential new member) for a permanent anti-Israel stance.

The author is Eurasia Review’s Middle East correspondent. His latest book is Trump and the Holy Land: 2016-2020. Follow him at: www.a-mid-east-journal.blogspot.com

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