[xg15]

I think the Soviet Union had sided with Palestine (and also with other countries in what today is called the Global South) for most of the cold war, and this is a remnant of that.

Another effect of that is that a number of ex-soviet republics, like Poland, have recognition of Palestine "grandfathered in" even if they're part of the West and generally pro-Israel today.

[jojobas]

Stalin sided with Israel against "those British sellouts Arabs". After his death USSR flipped for weird commie reasons, then felt betrayed by Nasser, then got disappointed by poor Arab fighting, then fell apart.