In fact, many of the events taking place are not being reported – or, at least, they are being pushed to the back of our minds and the back pages of the newspaper – but to say that the elements that are destabilizing the status quo are waiting for the virus crisis to be resolved is unfounded, and wishful thinking at best. Such a statement may stem, in part, from a Western rationale that does not necessarily represent the motivation or paradigm relevant to the Middle East. Moreover, some of those involved in the Middle East conflict zones seem to assume that many developments will pass "under the radar," as the Western world now has no interest or bandwidth to deal with them.
The following examples, from arenas directly or indirectly related to the Middle East, illustrate that COVID-19, however vicious, has not stopped the historical processes and developments (including those within states) that began before the outbreak of the virus. For Israel, this means that despite the difficulty in dividing its attention and directing some of its resources to the fight against the coronavirus, the security and intelligence community must also remain alert to what is happening in the region.
Russia, which in recent years has re-established its presence in the Middle East, reiterated last week that it is committed to a two-state solution on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative. This came following Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov's meeting with Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nahala. The meeting, according to the Russian foreign ministry, promoted intra-Palestinian reconciliation on the basis of the PLO acting as the political platform that would enable, according to Russia, direct negotiations for a viable settlement with Israel. -Full Report
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