Smoke rises after Israeli attacks in Gaza, October 8, 2023.
Mohammed Salem | Portal
BEIJING – China called for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict – and the “establishment of an independent state of Palestine,” a Foreign Ministry statement said on Sunday.
“The fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent state of Palestine,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
In its online statement, it described the situation as an “escalation of tensions and violence between Palestine and Israel.”
It made no mention of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and has been designated a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.
According to NBC News, at least 700 people have been killed in Israel since Hamas militants infiltrated Israel on Saturday and kidnapped dozens, including civilians. According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel responded with counterattacks on Gaza, with the death toll most recently at 370.
“We call on the parties concerned to maintain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end hostilities to protect civilians and prevent the situation from further deteriorating,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
“The international community must act more urgently, increase its contribution to the Palestine issue, facilitate the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel and find a way to achieve lasting peace,” the statement continued. “China will continue to work tirelessly with the international community toward this goal.”
On Monday, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, took a clearer stance on the developing conflict, saying: “China condemns all violence and attacks on civilians.”
That’s according to a CNBC translation of Chinese-language comments on X, formerly known as Twitter.