AI Brief
- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Israel to halt and reverse its forced establishment of West Bank settlements during talks with President Isaac Herzog.
- Wang reiterated China's stance that the Palestinian issue is a major historical injustice and advocated for the two-state solution as the correct path forward.
- China called for immediate humanitarian access to Gaza and expressed willingness to work with the international community for a political resolution.
BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Israel should stop and reverse its "forced establishment" of West Bank settlements, China's foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.
China has consistently held that the Palestinian question is the greatest historical injustice of this century, Wang told Herzog during a meeting in Azerbaijan, the ministry added.
- Wang said that promoting peace and reconciliation in the region is the "cornerstone" of China's Middle East policy.
- China believes that the "two-state solution" is the right path to a resolution and the immediate priority is to fully open access to the Gaza Strip so a humanitarian "catastrophe" is not allowed to spread, Wang added.
- At the same time, Israel should stop and reverse its forced establishment of settlements in the West Bank, he said.
- China is willing to work with the international community to push all parties to return to dialogue and consultation as soon as possible and seek a political settlement of the conflict, Wang added.
- China has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause and Beijing also has close ties with Israel's main regional foe, Iran
