The crisis between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip that took place while China served as temporary UN Security Council president for May provided Beijing with the opportunity to demonstrate its support for Muslims and point a finger at US bias in its continued support for Israel and failure to ensure Palestinian civilians' human rights.
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In response to a question from Al Jazeera at a press conference on May 14, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hua Chunying said, "China has been actively playing a mediating role … but the US remained alone in obstructing the voice of the Council.
"The US claims to care about the human rights of Muslims. However, as the recent Israel-Palestine clashes swept a large number of Palestinian Muslims into war and sufferings, the US turned a blind eye to their sufferings and even risked universal condemnation to stop the Security Council from speaking up on this. In the meantime, the US, together with a handful of its allies like the UK and Germany, held a meaningless meeting on the so-called Xinjiang-related issues falsely in the name of the UN based on lies and political prejudice. What is the true intention behind this political farce? The US should know that the lives of Palestinian Muslims are equally precious."
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's decision to lead a special UN Security Council session on the crisis in Gaza was aimed at emphasizing the importance China attributes to the conflict and its stance on finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue, in contrast with the United States. In a conversation with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi ahead of the meeting, which received widespread coverage by Chinese media outlets, Wang said the main reason for the crisis was the mistaken policies implemented by former US President Donald Trump, which he said ignored the need to promote a two-state solution and as a result led to the ongoing abuse of Palestinian rights.
Meanwhile, ahead of his planned meeting with senior Arab League officials, China's UN envoy Zhang Jun said he understood their concerns regarding the conflict.
In this same manner, despite the importance of understanding the motives of both sides, Beijing made no mention of Israel's stance or rockets fired by Hamas and Islamic Jihad at Israel's cities in the draft resolution proposed to the UN Security Council. This was the reason the US vetoed the resolution.
During the Security Council session, China's foreign minister called for both sides to end violence against civilians and agree to an immediate ceasefire. He further called on Israel to show restraint in its use of force. He emphasized "one country" was responsible for the council's failure to consolidate a joint statement on the conflict. He said that as a "true friend of the Palestinian people," Beijing would bolster its efforts to promote negotiations. He also reiterated China's offer for Israeli and Palestinian officials to meet in the Middle Kingdom for direct talks.
Israel has been unwillingly incorporated by the Chinese into their ongoing conflict with the Americans in the hope of presenting Beijing as the responsible and moderate state and diverting media and diplomatic attention from what is transpiring in Xinjiang.
Although senior Chinese officials have visited the Middle East, in particular Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, over the past year, there have been no high-level contacts between Beijing and Jerusalem, the latter of which is seen as a clear and strategic US ally.
In deciding whether to carry on fighting in light of international pressure, Israel must take into account that the US is dealing with China's blow to its role as a global leader. At the same time, China's displays of an ability to fulfill a greater role in the Middle East by inviting both sides to direct talks on its soil require Israel to sharpen the message that diplomatic disregard and the presentation of one side of the equation will keep Jerusalem from viewing it as a fair mediator in the future.
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