17 days after the deadly terrorist attack by Hamas rocked Israel killing over 1,400 of its people, China has finally acknowledged that the Jewish state has the right to self-defense. However, the Communist country has still not condemned terrorist group Hamas for the 7th October terrorist attack.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen on 23rd October and said that “every country has the right to self-defence”. Yi, however, maintained China’s position to preach by adding that “every country should abide by international humanitarian law and protect civilians.”
This is reportedly the first time that China has expressed support for Israel which is a starkly opposite stand from its usual calls for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Last Week, Chinese President Xi Jinping, too, called for an immediate ceasefire and offered to broker a solution along with Egypt and other Arab nations “to push for a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue as soon as possible.”
Tel Aviv has repeatedly expressed its disappointment with Beijing for failing to condemn terrorism and instead putting the onus on Israel which has been the victim of Hamas terrorist attacks.
On 15th October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a scathing attack on Israel said that its actions in Gaza “have gone beyond the scope of self-defence”. Moreover, on 23rd October, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called on the international community for more humanitarian support for people in Gaza.
China is pained to see the large amount of civilian casualities and escalation of humanitarian crisis during the ongoing Palestine-Israel conflicts, Mao Ning, a spokesperson of the Chinese FM said on Mon. Mao called the intl community to provide more humanitarian support for ppl… pic.twitter.com/cHFK9kru4H
— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) October 23, 2023
Merely two days after the attacks, on 9th October, China refused to condemn the Jihadist group Hamas for the barbaric attack on Israeli citizens. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that it wouldn’t condemn Palestine despite certain voices “pressuring” it to do so.
Israel on 14th October expressed “deep disappointment” with the Chinese stance with the Israeli Ambassador Rafi Harpaz dialing the Chinese envoy to the Middle East regarding Beijing’s decision not to condemn the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
Israeli Ambassador Harpaz stated that Israel is ‘deeply disappointed’ with China’s statements and media reports on the horrific incidents that took place in southern Israel, as informed by the Israeli Embassy in China on X.
The sudden change in China’s stance comes ahead of Chinese FM Wang Yi’s visit to Washington, D.C. Beijing has also backed two-state solution. China along with Russia are also reportedly planning to work together to broker a peace deal and a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
However, while China is calling on Israel to ceasefire on terrorists, it continues to maintain an eery silence over the reports of exploitation of Uyghur Muslims in China.
