On 14th October (Saturday), Israel expressed “deep disappointment” with the Chinese stance regarding the Israel-Hamas war following the terrorist attacks on Israeli territories on 7th October. Israeli Ambassador, Rafi Harpaz, had a telephone conversation with the Chinese envoy to the Middle East regarding Beijing’s decision not to condemn the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel.
During his conversation with the Chinese government’s special envoy for the Middle East issue, 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.
昨天，受以色列外交部长埃利•科亨指示，以色列外交部亚太事务副总司长兼大使拉菲•哈帕兹同中国政府中东问题特使翟隽通话。…
— 以色列在中国 (@IsraelinChina) October 14, 2023
In their official statement informing about the telephone conversation, the Embassy highlighted that China neither condemned the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas nor mentioned Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens against such brutal attacks.
The Embassy wrote, “There was no clear and unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attacks and vicious massacres carried out by the terrorist organisation Hamas against innocent civilians, as well as the kidnapping of dozens of people into the Gaza Strip. Nor is there any mention of Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens, which is a fundamental right of any sovereign state in the face of a brutal attack that is unprecedented and intolerable to human society.”
The Israeli Embassy further noted that China’s statement was “inconsistent with and untrue to the tragedies and fears that have occurred in the past few days.”
Israeli statement calling out China for siding with Hamas comes in the wake of a Chinese statement that was issued earlier this week on 9th October.
Addressing media over the Israel-Hamas war, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that it wouldn’t condemn Palestine despite certain voices ‘pressurising’ it to do so following the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. The spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry declined to explicitly call out Hamas terrorists or Islamist outfits in Gaza for launching a surprise attack on Israeli citizens in the early hours of 7th October.
Chinese FM spokesperson Mao Ning also downplayed the terrorist attacks and ground invasion by Hamas inside Israeli territories and claimed that China condemns any “behaviour” that is “harmful” to civilians. Stating that it is “highly concerned” about the Israel-Hamas war, Mao Ning added that China opposes the escalation of the situation.
While all major non-Arab countries highlighted that Israel has the right to defend itself against such terrorist attacks, the Chinese Foreign Ministry advised Israel and Gaza to indulge in peace talks. The Chinese FM said that China believes dialogues and negotiations are the fundamental way out of conflicts. It urged all parties to reach a ceasefire to avoid an escalation of the situation.
Meanwhile, on 13th October, an Israeli diplomat was brutally stabbed multiple times in Beijing. The staffer is receiving medical treatment at a hospital and is stable. According to i24News, this was a “possible terrorist attack”. According to a post by Swarajya on X, the attack was not close to the Israeli embassy. The attacker’s motive is under investigation.
🔴 Israeli diplomat stabbed in Beijing
— Swarajya (@SwarajyaMag) October 13, 2023
-Attack not close to embassy
-Attacker motive being probed
-Comes as Hamas calls for "day of rage"https://t.co/yIZiPv8qJX
A purported video of the attack also went viral on the internet. The video showed the attacker, dressed in a white shirt, armed with what appears to be a long knife. The video further showed the attacker stabbing the diplomat at least 5 times aiming at his throat and coming repeatedly at him while the diplomat tried to fight the attacker off.
The ongoing Israel-Hamas war which has entered the eighth day has divided the countries the world over into two distinct camps with one clearly calling out Hamas terrorist attacks and taking measures to curb support for the terrorist organisation while others like China have sided with Hamas concocting it as an ordinary geopolitical issue/conflict.
