On Wednesday, it was reported that China plans to receive officials from Palestine and Israel to hold talks in Beijing. The plan came to light during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s interview with Saudi-owned, Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV early on Wednesday. In the interview, Foreign Minister Yi said that “We will invite Palestinian and Israeli public figures to have talks in China.” The minister did not provide any further detail regarding this initiative.
Speaking upon the request to comment on the latest development, a member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Wasel Abu Yousef, stated that the Chinese plan had been welcomed by the Palestinian Authority. Also, he delivered his appreciation for the official Chinese stance, in support of the establishment of a Palestinian state on lands under Israeli occupation since 1967. On the other hand, Abu Yousef emphasized that the Palestinian leadership gives priority “to establish an international conference to hold peace talks, based on international legitimacy and resolutions.”
On the same day, the Chinese Foreign Minister left the country for his Middle East tour. Within the scope of the tour, Minister Yi will visit Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iran, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Oman.
In 2017, China was able to bring the two sides together in Beijing, where Yeiel Hilik Bar, the then-prominent opposition figure in Israel, met with Nabil Sha’ath, an adviser to the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
