After years of calm, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians has once again erupted in Gaza and lasted for more than a week. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi told an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on May 16 on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that a ceasefire between the two sides and a halt to the violence was urgent, and in addition to welcoming Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in China, Wang condemned the U.S. for not supporting any Security Council statement. China’s intention to mediate the Israeli-Palestinian situation is seen as a replica of Russia’s involvement in Syria.
The Chinese presidency of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in May held an emergency meeting on the situation between Israel and Palestine on May 16, where Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said, (translation) “China supports the restarting of peace talks between Palestine and Israel on a two-state basis as soon as possible. “
China invites Palestinians and Israelis to hold direct talks in China
Wang Yi said that in response to the current tense situation, China has put forward four propositions: ceasefire and stopping violence is the immediate priority, humanitarian assistance is urgent, international support is due, and a two-state solution is the fundamental way out, and said that in the future China will continue to increase its efforts to persuade peace and promote talks and fulfill its duties as the President of the Security Council.
The Security Council has so far been unable to issue a joint statement to address developments in the Palestinian-Israeli situation, Wang said, condemning the U.S. for the Council’s failure to issue a unified voice so far due to one country’s obstruction, and calling on the U.S. to shoulder its due responsibility, take an impartial position and support the Council in playing its due role to ease the situation, rebuild trust and reach a political solution.
The U.S., Israel’s biggest ally, does not support any Security Council statement, fearing it will backfire, and the Biden administration has stressed that it has been mediating behind the scenes, with several Washington officials also publicly calling on both sides to stop the violence.
The Middle East issue may force the Biden administration to shift its target to the Gaza Strip from the original issues of the Chinese and Russian threats and the fight against the epidemic. At the same time, China is eager to seize a voice in international affairs against the backdrop of the U.S.-China rivalry, and is not above brokering the Middle East situation.
Bassam Tayara, a researcher at the French Center for Strategic Studies, analyzed China’s voice on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, first to distract the media and the world’s attention from the crackdown in Xinjiang, especially since the United States, Britain and 18 other countries and organizations have just rallied around China at the UN conference on human rights in Xinjiang. China’s accusations against Washington mean that it wants the U.S. to “focus on the Palestinian issue,” which means, “Let’s do whatever we want to do with the Uighurs.”
He sees the second goal as very strategic, Dayara said, “China wants to use the vacuum left by the West and their passivity in this bloody issue to jam up the ground for a possible next round of negotiations, in the same way that Russia has succeeded in doing with Syria.”
He also noted that China wants to be a supporter of the oppressed people through Mao-era slogans, but that Israel is Beijing’s main arms supplier and has established a real partnership in the military, agriculture, and high-tech fields. This close relationship also unsettles the United States, which claims to be Israel’s main ally in the Middle East. Dayara said, “This is China playing both sides of the fence with hypocrisy: it wants to support Israel’s weapons industry while acting friendly to the Palestinians and continuing to oppress the Uighurs.”
Wang Yi had already said during his trip to six Middle East countries in March that China had plans to invite Israeli and Palestinian figures to China for talks, and at the Security Council he reiterated that he would welcome direct talks between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators in China.
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