Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki’s comments came during a meeting in Beijing aimed at finding solutions to end the war.
Israel seeks to end the presence of the Palestinian people in their “historic land,” the Palestinian foreign minister said.
Riyad al-Maliki’s comments come as diplomats from predominantly Arab and Muslim countries meet their Chinese counterparts in Beijing on Monday.
Beijing hosts a delegation of foreign ministers from the Palestinian Authority, Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan for discussions aimed at finding a solution to end the war in the Gaza strip.
The summit, during which China pledged to work to “restore peace to the Middle East”, is seen as part of Beijing’s desire to strengthen its international role.
The Palestinian Authority’s Al-Maliki accused Israel of seeking to “end the presence of the Palestinian people on what remains of their historic land”, reports AFP.
An Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the displacement of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip would threaten peace, security and stability in the region and the world.
“Egypt is making every effort to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing, but Israel’s policy of obstructing the entry of aid is a systematic policy aimed at pushing the Palestinians to leave the Strip under the weight of bombing and siege,” the statement said. the spokesperson said.
China, host of the summit, has always been sympathetic to the Palestinians. Foreign Minister Wang Yi told visiting diplomats that his country could see that “a humanitarian disaster was unfolding in Gaza” and that it must be stopped.
“The situation in Gaza affects every country in the world, calling into question the human sense of right and wrong and the outcomes of humanity,” he said, before urging the international community to “act urgently” to prevent the war from spreading.
After the outbreak of war last month, Wang reportedly said in a phone call to his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud that “Israel’s actions went beyond self-defense.”
Wang and other Chinese officials called for an immediate ceasefire and a “cooling down” of the situation.
Powerful vacuum cleaner
Beijing has repeatedly called for a two-state solution to end the war, which has killed more than 13,000 Palestinians in Gaza and some 1,200 in Israel.
Beijing’s Middle East envoy, Zhai Jun, visited the region last month to seek a solution to end the war and is in talks with Russia to work together to help Israel and Palestine to achieve a two-state solution.
At the summit, Wang once again emphasized that Beijing is “a good friend and brother of Arab and Muslim countries.”
The Chinese Foreign Minister receives Foreign Minister Choukry and members of the Arab-Islamic ministerial delegation upon their arrival in Beijing. @MFA_China pic.twitter.com/teARLWow4b
– Spokesperson for the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (@MfaEgypt) November 20, 2023
“China firmly upholds justice and fairness in this conflict,” he said.
“We are ready to work with our brothers and sisters in Arab and Islamic countries to make tireless efforts to resolve the war in Gaza as quickly as possible,” he added.
The meetings are a sign that China is strengthening its international role by filling the power vacuum left by the United States, according to political analyst Ibrahim Fraihat.
“The United States shot itself in the foot by throwing its weight behind Israel and, in doing so, diminished its role as a credible third party responder,” said Fraihat, of the Institute for superiors in Doha, to Tel Aviv Tribune.
“They (Chinese authorities) are very interested in this role – they have close ties with Israel, they have the trust of the Palestinians and they have weight in the international system,” he added, referring to the right to China’s veto in the UN Security Council.
