Xi pledges more Gaza aid and talks trade at summit with Arab leaders
The Hindu
Chinese President Xi Jinping is calling for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and promising more humanitarian aid for people in Gaza
Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and promised more humanitarian aid for people in Gaza as he opened a summit with leaders of Arab states Thursday in Beijing.
“Since last October, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has escalated drastically, throwing people into tremendous suffering,” Mr. Xi said in a speech opening the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. “War should not continue indefinitely."
He called for an international peace conference for resolving the Israel-Hamas war and pledged 500 million yuan ($69 million) in humanitarian aid for Gaza. He also promised to donate $3 million to a United Nations agency that provides assistance and relief to refugees of the Israel-Hamas war.
Beijing and the Arab states support Palestinians in the conflict, where Israel is facing growing international condemnation after its strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah in which at least 45 people were killed over the weekend. The overall Palestinian death toll in the war exceeds 36,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Beijing has long backed Palestinians and denounced Israel over its settlements in the occupied territories. It has not criticized the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 — which killed about 1,200 Israelis — while the United States and others have called it an act of terrorism. However, China has growing economic ties with Israel.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who spoke at the opening ceremony, praised China for supporting an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.
“I call on all active actors of the international community to assume their moral and legal responsibilities to stop the outrageous Israeli war," Mr. el-Sissi said. "I further urge the international community to take immediate and decisive action to enforce the instantaneous and unfettered delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance to the Gaza Strip to break the Israeli siege and counter any attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinians from their lands,” Mr. el-Sissi said.
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