Delegation from Palestinian Authority, Muslim nations to visit China

Top foreign policy officials from the Palestinian Authority and four Muslim-majority countries will visit China on Monday and Tuesday, Beijing announced, as the ongoing Israeli airstrike claims over 12,000 lives in Gaza.

The visiting delegation is set to include the foreign ministers of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and Indonesia, as well as the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

“During the visit, China will have in-depth communication and coordination with the joint delegation of foreign ministers of Arab and Islamic countries to promote a de-escalation of the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict, protecting civilians, and justly resolving the Palestinian issue,” Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in a statement on Sunday.

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza, which killed 1,200 Israelis, according to officials.

Israel blockaded the strip and launched a brutal assault, which has since killed more than 12,000 Palestinians, including 5,000 children. While the death toll mounts and thousands of other civilians remain at risk in Gaza, Israel has repeatedly refused calls for a ceasefire.

Following the outbreak of the war last month, Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi, have called for an immediate ceasefire and a “cooling down” of the situation.

China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinians and supported a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Last month, Wang spoke with the Palestinian Authority’s foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki, telling him Beijing “deeply expresses its sympathy with the Palestinian side”.

The Palestinian Authority was meant to be a first step towards an independent Palestinian state. But it has little authority over the West Bank and none over Gaza, where it was violently ousted by Hamas in 2007.

The delegation is set to arrive in China days after US President Joe Biden argued that the coastal territory of Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank should come under a single “revitalised” administration.

“As we strive for peace, Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalised Palestinian Authority,” he wrote in the Washington Post.

Playing peacemaker

China has criticised US support for Israel and denounced the veto of a UN Security Council resolution by the United States, which wanted a call for Israel’s right to defend itself.

Beijing’s diplomatic presence in the Middle East has grown in recent years, as it makes efforts to play peacemaker in a range of longstanding regional disputes.

This year, China brokered a deal that saw longtime rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran agree to restore ties and reopen their respective embassies.

Washington has said it hopes China’s relationship with Iran could help calm the conflict, particularly after Beijing’s role in the detente between Tehran and Riyadh.