China says Israel should stop its ‘forced establishment’ of West Bank settlements
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Israeli settlement near Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Sept 30.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- China told Israel to stop and reverse its “forced establishment” of West Bank settlements, saying this is part of the wider Palestinian issue and a major historical injustice.
- Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the “two-state solution” is the right path, and the immediate priority is to fully open access to Gaza to stop a humanitarian “catastrophe”.
- China said peace and reconciliation are the “cornerstone” of its Middle East policy, and it wants all sides back to dialogue and a political settlement with international support.
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BEIJING – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Israel should stop and reverse its “forced establishment” of West Bank settlements, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Oct 16.
China has consistently held that the Palestinian question is the greatest historical injustice of this century, Wang told Herzog during a meeting in Azerbaijan, the ministry added.
Herzog said in a post on X that the meeting, which took place on Oct 15, focused on “relations between our countries and the situation in the Middle East”.
His office declined to comment when asked about their discussions on the West Bank or the Palestinians.
Wang said that promoting peace and reconciliation in the region is the “cornerstone” of China’s Middle East policy.
China believes that the “two-state solution” is the right path to a resolution and the immediate priority is to fully open access to the Gaza Strip so a humanitarian “catastrophe” is not allowed to spread, Wang added.
At the same time, Israel should stop and reverse its forced establishment of settlements in the West Bank, he said.
China is willing to work with the international community to push all parties to return to dialogue and consultation as soon as possible and seek a political settlement of the conflict, Wang added.
China has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause and Beijing also has close ties with Israel’s main regional foe, Iran. REUTERS