BEIJING (AFP) – China’s foreign minister told Israeli and Palestinian diplomats that China was ready to support recent mediation efforts in the region to facilitate peace talks between the two countries.
In separate calls with two officials on Monday, Foreign Minister Qin Gang expressed China’s concern over rising tensions between Israel and Palestine and his support for resuming peace talks, the foreign ministry said.
Last month, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a deal in China to restore diplomatic ties that were severed in 2016. It was a dramatic diplomatic moment for China, and Beijing touted it as a demonstration of its capabilities as a diplomatic actor in the Middle East.
Hata stressed that in his meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Saudi Arabia and Iran set a good example of overcoming differences through dialogue. He said Cohen Beijing is encouraging Israel and the Palestinian people to show political courage and take steps to resume peace talks. “China is ready to provide convenience in return,” he said.
Israel and the Palestinians have not held substantive peace talks to end their centuries-old conflict for more than a decade. The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is committed to expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank, which most of the international community considers illegal and an obstacle to peace. .
Cohen expressed the country’s commitment to de-escalating tensions, but said the issue would be difficult to resolve in the short term, according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry. In a statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said Qin and Cohen “discussed on Temple Hill the importance of maintaining composure, especially at the end of Ramadan, the holy month of Islam,” but He made no mention of the peace talks.
Cohen said he voiced the “threat seen in Iran’s nuclear program” and urged China to cooperate to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Qin also told Palestinian Foreign Minister al-Maliki that China was ready to play an active role in resuming talks.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin confirmed that Qin had been in contact with two of his senior officials. “It’s never too late to do the right thing,” he said. Violence has escalated in Israel and the West Bank this month. It follows a raid by Israeli police on the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex, Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. Israeli forces attacked sites in southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip linked to the Palestinian group Hamas after two regional militants fired rockets into Israel.The mosque is the third holiest place in Islam , perched on a hill revered as the holiest site in Judaism.
