Two Sides of the Same Coin in Russia-Israel Relations: Conflict and Cooperation

Abstract

One of the important components of Russian foreign policy is its relations with Israel. Since the establishment of Israel in 1948, Russia has attached great importance to its relations with this country. There are various areas of cooperation and conflict in the relations between the two countries. It is a reflection of the Kremlin’s traditional pragmatist policy that Russia strives to maintain cooperation with Israel despite having different interests in many areas. The aim of this study is to examine the ongoing conflict and cooperation in Russia’s relations with Israel and to answer the question of how Moscow has managed to maintain both forms of relations in the same period. In this context, the study examines the parameters around which conflict and cooperation initiatives have developed in bilateral relations. Moscow’s Iran and Palestine policies “despite Israel”, as well as its links with Hamas and Hezbollah, represent the conflict dimension of bilateral relations. The other side of the coin is the areas of cooperation between the two countries. An important factor that catalyzes cooperation, especially in security-oriented policies, is the Russian diaspora in Israel. In this direction, content analysis, one of the scientific research methods, was used in this study, and discourse analysis was also used from time to time. In addition to academic publications examining the issue in question, the study draws on leaders statements, historical records and official foreign policy documents.

Keywords

• Russia
• Israel
• Conflict
• Diaspora
• Hamas
• Cooperation

Rusya-İsrail İlişkilerinde Madalyonun İki Yüzü: Çatışma ve İşbirliği

Abstract

Rus dış politikasının önemli bileşenlerinden biri de İsrail ile olan ilişkileridir. İsrail’in kurulduğu 1948 yılından bu yana Rusya bu ülke ile ilişkilerine büyük önem vermektedir. İki ülke arasındaki ilişkilerde çeşitli işbirliği ve çatışma alanları bulunmaktadır. Rusya’nın birçok alanda farklı çıkarlara sahip olmasına rağmen İsrail ile işbirliğini sürdürmeye çalışması Kremlin’in geleneksel pragmatist politikasının bir yansımasıdır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Rusya’nın İsrail ile ilişkilerinde süregelen çatışma ve işbirliğini incelemek ve Moskova’nın aynı dönemde her iki ilişki biçimini de sürdürmeyi nasıl başardığı sorusuna yanıt aramaktır. Bu bağlamda çalışma, ikili ilişkilerde çatışma ve işbirliği girişimlerinin hangi parametreler etrafında geliştiğini incelemektedir. Moskova’nın “İsrail’e rağmen” İran ve Filistin politikaları ile Hamas ve Hizbullah’la olan bağlantıları ikili ilişkilerin çatışma boyutunu temsil etmektedir. Madalyonun diğer yüzü ise iki ülke arasındaki işbirliği alanlarıdır. Özellikle güvenlik odaklı politikalarda iş birliğini hızlandıran önemli bir faktör İsrail’deki Rus diasporasıdır. Bu doğrultuda çalışmada bilimsel araştırma yöntemlerinden içerik analizi kullanılmış, zaman zaman söylem analizine de başvurulmuştur. Çalışmada, söz konusu konuyu inceleyen akademik yayınların yanı sıra liderlerin açıklamaları, tarihi kayıtlar ve resmi dış politika belgelerinden de yararlanılmıştır.

Keywords

• Rusya
• İsrail
• Çatışma
• İşbirliği
• Hamas
• Diaspora

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