China Holds Gaza Meeting in Challenge to U.S.

China is stepping into the diplomatic fray over the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip as it hosts a high-level meeting of delegates from Arab and Muslim countries in a challenge to America's strong support for Israel.

The meeting reflects the growing leadership role that China has sought to play in the Middle East while addressing the crisis in Gaza, where Beijing's calls for a ceasefire, its criticism of Israel's military actions and its refusal to condemn Hamas have contrasted with the backing Israel has received from its ally, the United States.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, among those joining the meeting in China, said: "We are here to send a clear signal: we must immediately stop the fighting and the killings, and we must immediately deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the delegation would be in China from November 20 and 21.

The delegates at the meeting in China also included Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, and former Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Yousef Al-Othaimeen.

Wang Yi, China's second-time foreign minister, expressed China's commitment to resolving the situation in Gaza.

"China will work to quell the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible, alleviate the humanitarian crisis and promote an early, comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue," Wang said.

The deadliest upsurge of the Middle East conflict in decades followed unprecedented Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, in which its fighters killed some 1,200 Israelis.

More than 12,000 Palestinians have been killed by subsequent Israeli attacks in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health authorities cited by the Associated Press.

Riyad al-Maliki, the Palestinian Authority's foreign minister, accused Israel of seeking to "bring to an end the Palestinian people's presence on what remains of its historical land."

Israel has said that it seeks to minimize civilian casualties, but that it aims to end Hamas control in the Gaza Strip, stop the group from being able to launch attacks into Israel, as well as secure the release of well over 200 hostages seized by Hamas during its raid.

Hamas is committed to destroying Israel and replacing it with an Islamic state.

Israel has resisted growing international pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel has yet to officially comment on the delegation's visit.

The meeting in China had greater geopolitical significance than the talks on Gaza, said Clemens Chay, a research fellow at the National University of Singapore.

"The optics of an Arabo-Islamic presence in Beijing, through the attendance of various ministers, are meant to send a strong signal to Washington that another power external to the Middle East is willing to support its push for a ceasefire," Chay told Newsweek.

"The calculated move comes after an understanding that China, while remaining balanced in its overall position towards the war, has a preference for the Arab front, with which it has cultivated relations," Chay said.

Chay added that the Arab and Muslim officials were leveraging Beijing's platform to indirectly signal to the United States the need to exert influence in restraining Israel.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.