Russia’s Putin Speaks to Palestinians, Syria, Egypt, Iran and Israel

 Smoke rises in the air above Gaza following Israeli bombings, as seen from Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel October 16, 2023. (Reuters)
Smoke rises in the air above Gaza following Israeli bombings, as seen from Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel October 16, 2023. (Reuters)
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Russia’s Putin Speaks to Palestinians, Syria, Egypt, Iran and Israel

 Smoke rises in the air above Gaza following Israeli bombings, as seen from Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel October 16, 2023. (Reuters)
Smoke rises in the air above Gaza following Israeli bombings, as seen from Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel October 16, 2023. (Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin entered the fevered diplomatic fray of the Middle East on Monday, speaking to five of the major players, including Iran and leading Arab powers, in an attempt to secure a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.

Russia, which has relationships with Iran, Hamas, major Arab powers as well as with the Palestinians and with Israel, has repeatedly said the United States and the West have ignored the need for an independent Palestinian state within 1967 borders.

Putin spoke to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by telephone, the Kremlin said. He also plans to speak to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it said.

"We believe that the main thing right now in this situation is to immediately cease the fire and begin the process of a political settlement," Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov was quoted by state news outlets as saying.

"The Middle East conflict is old of character but now it is necessary to take active, sharp steps in order to stop this escalation which is unprecedented," Ushakov said.

The results of the calls were unclear. TASS said Putin and Assad want humanitarian aid delivered to Gaza.

Putin will meet Xi Jinping in China this week in a bid to deepen a partnership forged between the United States' two biggest strategic competitors.

Putin, who says the West is seeking to cleave Russia apart by supporting Ukraine, says the current violence in the Middle East shows just how far US policy in the region has failed.

But Russia has also repeatedly warned that the situation could swiftly escalate into a regional war.

Russia and China, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, have said that the fundamental issue at the heart of the conflict is the lack of justice for the Palestinians.

The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital - all territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war.

China's foreign minister on Monday called for a ceasefire to halt the bloodshed in Israel, suggesting at a meeting with his Russian counterpart that major world powers should work to avoid a humanitarian disaster.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the conflict between Israel and Hamas with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing ahead of a visit by President Vladimir Putin to China.

"The United Nations Security Council must take action, and the major powers should play an active role," Wang told Lavrov, according to a Chinese transcript of the meeting.

"It is imperative that a ceasefire be put in place, that the two sides be brought back to the negotiating table, and that an emergency humanitarian channel be established to prevent a further humanitarian disaster."



Kurdish Leaderships Reveal Details of Plan to Merge with Syrian Army

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)
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Kurdish Leaderships Reveal Details of Plan to Merge with Syrian Army

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi. (Reuters)

Sources close to the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said the group’s decision to merge its military and security bodies with those of the Kurdish Autonomous Administration is a serious step toward talks with Damascus.

The move, announced late Monday, aims to integrate the SDF into the Syrian army.

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi invited Syrian interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to visit SDF-held areas in northeastern Syria, congratulating him on leading the country’s transition.

The SDF had published the minutes of a three-way meeting that included Abdi along with leaders from the group’s political wing, the Syrian Democratic Council, and the executive administration of the Autonomous Administration.

The meeting resulted in an agreement to merge the SDF’s military and security institutions with the security bodies of the Autonomous Administration under the Syrian army’s structure.

It also approved the reactivation of state-run civil and service institutions in northeastern Syria and the withdrawal of non-Syrian foreign fighters from SDF ranks and areas under its control as part of efforts to bolster national sovereignty and stability.

Abu Omar Al-Idlibi, a senior commander in the SDF, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the meeting concluded with an understanding that the SDF would be integrated into Syria’s Ministry of Defense as a single unit, potentially within a corps or as part of the ministry’s eastern command.

However, he noted that discussions were still in their early stages and that oil and gas fields in northeastern Syria were not on the agenda at this stage, but could be addressed in future talks.

Al-Idlibi described the move as an effort to unify forces and strengthen national unity, while reviving state-run civil and service institutions in the northeast to improve public services and living conditions.

The meeting emphasized the need to boost coordination with Damascus, increase dialogue on national issues, and reaffirm Syria’s territorial integrity.

Al-Idlibi said the latest decisions would support the integration of local forces into the Syrian army, bolster its defense capabilities, and facilitate the return of displaced people to their hometowns, particularly those from areas affected by Turkish military operations.