Experts hail Beijing’s proactive role in promoting solution to Palestine issue
An injured man is taken out of an ambulance by paramedics in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on June 19 during an Israeli army raid. Palestine condemned the Israeli army’s killing of five Palestinians and wounding of dozens of others during the raid on Jenin and a refugee camp. (PHOTO / AFP)
China’s proactive role in finding a lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by initiating a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas offers new opportunities for resolving decades of discord, analysts say.
They also said the move should not be seen as a competition between Beijing and Washington, but as China’s regard for Palestine as being another country added to the growing list of China’s strategic partnership.
“I believe China’s success in brokering a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia in recent months has boosted Chinese confidence in playing a more active diplomatic role in the Middle East. This role is highly welcomed by many parties in the Middle East,” said Muslim Imran, director at the Asia Middle East Center for Research and Dialogue, a Malaysia-based think tank.
He said the Palestinians in particular, have always maintained strong bilateral relations with China and, therefore, “see any Chinese involvement positively” and that the “credibility of the United States is at stake” as “they have been seen as a biased peace broker for years”.
“Although the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is probably more complicated than many other conflicts in the Middle East, the growing international influence that China has will probably help it play a positive role in resolving the conflict,” said Imran.
Abbas was in Beijing from June 13 to 16 at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who put forward a three-point proposal for the settlement of the Palestinian question during his talks with the Palestinian leader.
First, the fundamental solution lies in the establishment of an independent state of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital, he said.
Second, Palestine’s economic and livelihood needs should be met, and the international community needs to step up development assistance and humanitarian aid to Palestine.
Third, it is important to keep to the right direction of peace talks. The historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem should be respected, and excessive and provocative words and actions should be avoided.
A large-scale, more authoritative and more influential international peace conference should be convened so as to create conditions for the resumption of peace talks and contribute tangible efforts to help Palestine and Israel live in peace, Xi said.
“China stands ready to play a positive role to assist Palestine in achieving internal reconciliation and promote peace talks,” he said.
By prioritizing efforts on the Palestinian front, China acknowledges the pivotal role Palestine plays in the region, according to Belal Alakhras, a Palestinian researcher at the University of Malaya in Malaysia.
He said the Chinese efforts have the potential to contribute to regional security, stability, and the cultivation of trust among both the people and states in the area.
“The Palestinians stand to benefit from China’s engagement where assistance can be offered in areas where others may lack the ability or willingness to contribute. This includes supporting the Palestinians in their quest to end the (Israeli) occupation and promoting self-reliance,” Alakhras said.
“China’s initiatives in the Middle East have the potential to enhance the global multilateral landscape, ensuring that this economically and politically important region is not subject to the meddling of other powers, as witnessed in past wars and colonial invasions by Western powers,” he added.
Nagapushpa Devendra, a West Asia analyst and research scholar at the University of Erfurt in Germany, said, “China is not competing with the US in the Middle East. Beijing has its own goals and ambitions in the region which it wants to attain by adopting a contrasting policy to the US — bringing Middle Eastern countries into its diplomatic and economic orbit.”
“Palestine is just one another country added to the list of China’s strategic partnerships.”
Xinhua contributed to this story.
