Moscow condemns Israel, forgets about Ukraine

Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned Israel’s plan to expand its military operations in the Gaza Strip, claiming such actions would worsen what it called an already dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave.

“The implementation of such decisions and plans, which provoke condemnation and rejection, is fraught with the risk of exacerbating the already extremely dramatic situation in the Palestinian enclave, which has all the hallmarks of a humanitarian catastrophe,” the ministry said in a statement.

Moscow’s moral outrage, however, rings hollow. Russia is in no position to lecture anyone on military conduct or humanitarian concerns while waging its own brutal war in Ukraine — a conflict that has already claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and caused massive civilian suffering.

The invasion of Ukraine, marked by indiscriminate shelling of cities, destruction of infrastructure, and displacement of millions, is one of the bloodiest conflicts in Europe since World War II. For Russia to criticize Israel’s military actions against Hamas — a terrorist organization that initiated the current war — is a staggering display of double standards.

Instead of posturing as a moral authority on the Middle East, Moscow would do better to focus on ending its own war of aggression and addressing the humanitarian catastrophe it has unleashed in Ukraine.