China says it’s willing to facilitate Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
- Foreign Minister Qin Gang tells Israeli and Palestinian counterparts in separate calls that the solution to the conflict is to resume negotiations
- It comes amid heightened tensions between the two sides in recent months, and as Beijing is seeking to position itself as a global mediator
In separate phone calls with his Israeli and Palestinian Authority counterparts on Monday, Qin aired China’s concerns over the deepening conflict between the two sides, saying the solution was to resume peace negotiations.
He told Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen that Beijing encouraged both sides to “show political courage and take steps to resume peace talks” and that China was “willing to facilitate this”, according to the Chinese foreign ministry readout.
Qin said China had “no self-interest in this issue” and hoped that Israelis and Palestinians could “coexist peacefully and maintain regional peace and stability”.
It comes amid heightened tensions in recent months as Israeli forces stepped up military raids in the West Bank, leading to a jump in deaths and arrests. Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled since 2014.
Qin told Cohen the “top priority” was to control the situation and prevent it from escalating, and that the parties should remain calm and exercise restraint.
Similarly, the Chinese foreign minister told his Palestinian Authority counterpart Riyad al-Maliki that China was willing to play an “active role” in restarting peace talks in one of the world’s longest-running conflicts.
