China’s Stance on Israel-Hamas War
The Russia-Ukraine war has dominated the front page of major media platforms for almost two years. But on Oct 7, the page looked something completely different.
Israel declared its country to be in a state of war, as the armed forces led by Hamas launched an attack on several Israeli communities, killing 1,400 civilians and kidnapping about 240 civilians. Since then, the world has been centering its gaze on the appalling Israel-Hamas war.
China was unusually swift in responding to the war. It generalizes the Israel-Hamas war as a result of the prolonged Israel-Palestine conflict. On Oct 13, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi claimed China’s position as a “friend to both Israel and Palestine” during a press conference with EU diplomat Josep Borrell.
He also added, “Israel has the right to statehood, so does Palestine. The Israelis have obtained the safeguards for survival, but who will care about the survival of the Palestinians? The Jewish nation is no longer homeless in the world, but when will the Palestinian nation return to its home?”
On Oct. 18, President Xi made his first remark and called for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. The next day, during his meeting with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly in Beijing, President Xi claimed that the key to stopping the conflict was establishing an independent state of Palestine through a two-state resolution.
Despite China’s persistent concern for terrorism, it refrained from using the term when describing Hama’s attack.
To retaliate, Israel escalated airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 2,670 civilians and cutting off food, water and electricity to the Palestine enclave.
In response to Israel’s retaliation, China and the US, once again, upheld opposite stances.
“Israel’s actions have gone beyond self-defense, and it should heed the call of the international community and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to stop its collective punishment of the people in Gaza,” Wang Yi told his Saudi Arabia counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in a call several days after.
On the same day, Secretary of State Anthony Blinkin told reporters in Cairo that “Israel has the right – indeed it has the obligation – to defend itself against these attacks from Hamas, and to try to do what it can to make sure that this never happens again.”
China had sided with the Palestinians and Arab nations since the mid-1960s when Chairman Mao Zedong’s government offered military and diplomatic support to the Palestinian fighters. After the death of Chairman Mao, China softened its position in the Middle East, formally established diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992 and claimed “noninterference” in the Middle East affairs.
Under President Xi, China’s economic influence in the Middle East grew, and it started to side with the Arab nations and mediate the Israel-Palestine conflict.
In June 2023, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, signed a strategic partnership with President Xi in exchange for Chinese economic aid. In return to China’s favor, Abba said China’s policies towards Uyghurs in Xinjiang have “nothing to do with human rights and are aimed at excising extremism and opposing terrorism and separatism.”
Despite China having criticized Hama’s brutal attack on Israel, its criticism of Israel’s retaliation is far more direct.
Since the Middle East is deeply divided over the Israel-Palestine conflict, China’s rhetorical support for Palestine also implies its affinity with other Arab countries and a potential counterplay on the US stance in the region.
China’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on whether it will do anything in the region to help stop the fighting. One possibility to look out for is whether China will stretch its influence over Iran, Hamas’ long-time ally, or help reestablish Iran-Saudi diplomatic relations to restrain Hamas’ brutality.