Why China can’t broker peace between Israel and Palestine
National flags of China and the State of Palestine
Ahmadi Ali and Ahmed Alqarout write in Aljazeeera:
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas visited Beijing last week, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping. Abbas was the first Arab President to visit China since the China-Arab States Summit of Riyadh in December 2022 — signalling the importance that China appears to be placing on the Israel-Palestine issue.
The visit resulted in a leap forward in relations between China and Palestine. They agreed to a strategic partnership. Palestine will participate in Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative and a trio of new plans that Beijing has unveiled in recent months — the Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative and the Global Development Initiative — which collectively aim to present an alternative model of international relations to Western liberal norms. The two sides also activated a range of economic plans targeted at increasing trade between them.
All of this stirred speculation about China’s new offer to mediate a peace process between Israel and Palestine, and whether it can succeed. So here’s the harsh reality: Beijing likely won’t be able to broker peace, yet could notch up a geopolitical win for itself by just trying.
China’s plan includes supporting full membership for Palestine in the United Nations as a sovereign and independent state with Jerusalem as the capital, the preservation of the status quo in Jerusalem’s religious holy sites and the resumption of peace talks with Israel on the basis of UN resolutions. The aim: a “two-state solution” to finally realise peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel which has been attempted for decades.
But what’s in it for Beijing?
Beijing’s goals
The growing Chinese interest in the Palestinian issue stems from several motives that are consistent with Beijing’s broader objectives in the region and internationally.