China Hosts Arab, Muslim Ministers to End Israel’s War on Gaza

November 20, 2023

Chinese FM Wang Yi meets with his Arab, Muslim counterparts in Beijing. (Photo: video grab)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Arab and Muslim ministers called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as their delegation visited Beijing on Monday, Reuters news agency reported.

According to Reuters, this is the first part of a tour aimed at pushing for an end to hostilities and allowing humanitarian aid into the besieged Palestinian enclave.

The delegation is reportedly set to meet officials representing each of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. 

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will meet on Monday representatives from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, Palestine and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), among others. 

“We are here to send a clear signal that we must immediately stop the fighting and the killings, we must immediately deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al-Saud was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“We look forward to a stronger role on the part of great powers such as China in order to stop the attacks against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry reportedly told his Chinese counterpart. 

“Unfortunately, there are major countries that give cover to the current Israeli attacks,” the Egyptian minister added.

For his part, China’s Wang said that Beijing is a “good friend and brother of Arab and Muslim countries,” adding it has “always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights and interests.”

Since the beginning of the war on October 7, China has always refrained from condemning Hamas’ actions and has instead called for de-escalation and for the establishment of an independent Palestinian State. 

On Monday, Wang also said that 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,” Reuters reported.

According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel has, thus far, killed over 13,000 Palestinians, including over 5,500 children and over 3,500 women.

The Israeli army continues to pound civilian homes throughout the Gaza Strip with new massacres reported everywhere in the besieged enclave.

(The Palestine Chronicle)