In Beijing, Arab and Muslim ministers urge end to Gaza war
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An Israeli soldier in the Gaza Strip, as part of the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Palestinian group Hamas.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING – Arab and Muslim ministers called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Nov 20, as their delegation visited Beijing on the first leg of a tour to push for an end to hostilities
The delegation, which is set to meet officials representing each of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, is also piling pressure on the West to reject Israel’s justification of its actions against Palestinians as self-defence.
Officials from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, the Palestinian authorities and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, among others, held meetings with China's top diplomat Wang Yi on Nov 20.
“We are here to send a strong signal: That is, we must immediately stop the fighting and the killings, we must immediately deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza,” said Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
The extraordinary joint Islamic-Arab summit in Riyadh in November also urged the International Criminal Court to investigate “war crimes and crimes against humanity that Israel is committing” in the Palestinian territories.
Saudi Arabia has sought to press the United States and Israel for an end to hostilities in Gaza, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, gathered Arab and Muslim leaders to reinforce that message.
In comments posted by his ministry on X, formerly known as Twitter, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told his Chinese counterpart: “We look forward to a stronger role on the part of great powers such as China in order to stop the attacks against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Unfortunately, there are major countries that give cover to the current Israeli attacks.”
About 1,200 Israelis were killed and 240 hostages taken during Hamas’ attack on southern Israel on Oct 7
It prompted Israel to invade the Gaza Strip with the intention of eradicating the armed group.
Gaza’s Hamas-run government said that at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombardments since then, including at least 5,500 children.
Israeli Ambassador to Beijing Irit Ben-Abba told foreign reporters at a briefing on Nov 20 that she hoped there would not be “any statements from this visit about a ceasefire, now is not the time”.
She said Israel hoped that the delegation would talk about hostages captured by Hamas “and call for their immediate release without preconditions”, adding that the parties involved should talk together about Egypt’s “role in facilitating humanitarian assistance”.
‘Brother and friend’
Mr Wang said Beijing was a “good friend and brother of Arab and Muslim countries”, adding that it has “always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights and interests”.
Since the start of hostilities, China’s Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stopped short of condemning Hamas. It has instead called for de-escalation and for Israel and the Palestinian Territories to pursue a “two-state solution” for an independent Palestine.
Since the end of China’s nearly three years of Covid-19 lockdowns, Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched a diplomatic push aimed at countering the US and its allies, which he says seek to contain and suppress his country.
Beijing has deepened alliances with non-Western-led multilateral groups such as the Brics bloc of nations, while strengthening ties with countries in the Middle East and the Global South.
On Nov 20, Mr Wang added that China will work to “quell the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible, alleviate the humanitarian crisis and promote an early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue”.
Mr Zhai Jun, China’s special envoy on the Middle East, has engaged officials from Israel and the Palestinian Authority – which governs in the occupied West Bank – as well as the Arab League and the European Union in the last year, to discuss a two-state solution and recognition for Palestine at the United Nations. REUTERS
