- China's envoy to the Middle East met with diplomats from Arab nations on Friday.
- Mao Ning, China's foreign ministry spokesperson, spoke after the envoy's meeting and said China urges Israel to exercise restraint in its response to escalated tensions with Palestinians.
- Mao said China requested the U.N. Security Council to hold emergency consultations on the Israel-Palestine situation at the request of Arab states.
China's government has urged Israel "in particular" to remain calm in the face of recently escalated tensions with Palestinians.
During a Friday press conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning delivered a message that stressed restraint from Zhai Jun, China's special envoy for the Middle East. Mao's remarks came after Zhai met earlier in the day with a group of diplomats from Arab countries to discuss the ongoing conflicts.
Violence between Israelis and Palestinians escalated this week following Israeli police raids at the compound of the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, a site that is also holy in Judaism. The growing tensions come during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which coincides with the Jewish Passover holiday this year.
The resulting exchange of fire across the border between Lebanon and Israel is the biggest since the 34-day war between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas in 2006 (The Lebanese government has condemned the rocket fire coming from its territory).
"Zhai Jun said that the pressing task now is to keep the situation under control," Mao said. "China urges relevant parties, Israel in particular, to stay calm and exercise restraint to the greatest extent, avoid taking any actions that may heighten tensions and prevent further escalation of the situation."
Mao's press conference came as Israel launched massive airstrikes on Lebanon. Israel has blamed the Palestinian militant group Hamas for launching rockets from Lebanon, but neither Hamas nor the Lebanese group Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Israel also reported it had hit targets across Gaza on Friday.
Mao said that Zhai has requested that "relevant sides to act in accordance with relevant UN resolutions" as well as "respect and maintain the historical status quo of the holy sites in Jerusalem."
She added that China asked the United Nations Security Council to hold emergency consultations on the Israel-Palestine situation at the request of Arab states in an effort to facilitate de-escalation. China is also "in close communication with relevant parties in the international community to facilitate peace talks."
The foreign ministry spokesperson also stated that China supports an independent Palestinian state as a means to create peace in the region.
"Zhai Jun said that the fundamental way to resolve the conflicts between Palestine and Israel is the implementation of the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent state of Palestine," Mao said.
"Major countries with influence need to step up to their responsibilities, take a just position and play their due part in facilitating the resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel on the basis of the two-state solution."
When asked about China's message to Israel, Lawrence C. Reardon—a professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire and author of 2020's A Third Way: The Origins of China's Current Economic Development Strategy—told Newsweek that China has "had a very healthy economic relationship with the Israelis for decades, while at the same time keeping friendly relations with the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization] and Hamas."
"Perhaps they are using their recent success in bring out an initial truce between the Iranians and the Saudis to bring about another truce between the Israelis and the Palestinians," Reardon said. "This is especially true as the diplomatic influence of the U.S. in the Middle East appears to have weakened. So, having the Chinese promote peaceful relations between Israel and Palestinians is a win-win situation as they are seen as being the new Middle East diplomatic power, supplanting the U.S. "
Reardon added that the "remain calm" message is likely more of a response to tensions taking place during the current holy periods observed by both sides than a larger theme.
"I think the comment is more of a comment on the current situation, rather than an indirect criticism of Israel," he said.
Newsweek reached out to Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs via email for comment.
Update 04/08/23 9:10 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include comment from Reardon.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
