Will China replace US as mediator in Mideast peace talks?

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A top Palestinian official has urged China to take over the role of international mediator in Middle East peace talks, after Beijing recently hosted an Israeli-Palestinian symposium amid global uproar over US President Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

“China is highly qualified for its role in the Palestine-Israel peace process,” Palestinian President’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Nabil Shaath told CGTN after attending the 3rd symposium for Palestinian and Israeli peace advocates in Beijing last week.

Nabil Shaath, Palestinian President’s Foreign Affairs Adviser. /AP Photo

"None of the two parties [Israel and the Palestinians] can deny the important role of China,” Shaath said, adding that he and his other Palestinian colleagues were in Beijing “basically to invite China to become a participant of an international mechanism to support the peace process.” He added that the symposium was “very useful” towards generating ideas “that can help China in its role as an international mediator in this process.”

Shaath’s appeal is significant as it came after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas openly rejected the US as a mediator in the Middle East peace process following Trump’s controversial decision. This adds to the speculation over whether Beijing will indeed replace the US as the key mediator in the Middle Eastern conflict.

Consensus on two-state solution

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying at a press conference in Beijing, China, on December 25, 2017. /Photo via China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Beijing on Monday put its weight firmly behind the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital even as Guatemala became the first country to follow the US move of recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel despite overwhelming global opposition.

“China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, the two-state solution, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state of full sovereignty with East Jerusalem as its capital along the 1967 border,” China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters on Monday reiterating Beijing's official stand.

“China believes that only when a Palestinian state is established in real sense can Israel achieve enduring security, and only when the Palestinian-Israeli issue is settled in a comprehensive manner can the situation in the Middle East be fundamentally alleviated. We maintain that the status of Jerusalem shall be resolved through negotiations on the final status of the city in accordance with the basic consensus reached by the international community over the years,” she added.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (seventh from left) meets with attendees of the Israeli-Palestinian symposium in Beijing, China, on December 22, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

Briefing the media on the two-day symposium that was held in Beijing on December 21 and 22, Hua said: “A consensus document on promoting the settlement of the Palestine-Israel conflict based on the two-state solution was reached, reaffirming the two-state solution as the only viable way in resolving the Palestine-Israel issue. We believe that the consensus reached at this symposium, reflective of the sensible voices of the two nations, pooled together commitments to peace and this symposium was very timely and consequential in face of the new changes in the Middle East.”

Gong Xiaosheng, China's Special Envoy on Middle East Affairs, who moderated the symposium, said attendees from both sides praised China for offering the communication platform and agreed to solve their conflict on the basis of the "two-state solution."

"The two sides believe that the 'two-state solution' is the only viable option to solving the issue, and the leaders of Israel and Palestine should make official commitment again to the 'two-state solution' and avoid unilateral actions against the realization of the 'two-state solution'. They believe the civil society of Israel and Palestine is able to prove to the peoples and leaders that they can become peaceful partners and reach political agreement,” he said.

Gong Xiaosheng, China's Special Envoy on Middle East Affairs. /Xinhua Photo

Gong said that even though the symposium was a civilian meeting, it sent a message to “the international community that most Palestinians and Israelis still support the peace process, the 'two-state solution' and political settlement to the Palestine-Israel conflict via negotiations."

'Trump doesn't own Jerusalem'

The Chinese initiative on Middle East’s most contentious issue came as the status of Jerusalem became a hot topic at the United Nations. On Thursday, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution 128-9 that said Trump’s decision have no legal effect after a similar move was vetoed by the US at the UN Security Council despite 14 of the 15 members supporting the resolution.

The UN General Assembly resolution affirmed “that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the status of Jerusalem are null and void, and the international community will act in line with the UN resolutions and the international consensus,” Hua said, without naming the US, on Monday.

A Palestinian protester walks through a cloud of teargas fired by Israeli forces during a protest against US President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near Qalandia checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah, on December 20, 2017. /Reuters Photo

“[Trump] does not own Jerusalem, he does not own Palestine. And he is not mandated by the United Nations. It's very obvious that all the United Nations are against him, and in the Security Council, 14 out of 15 were against him, so they were 14 to 1. And today at the General Assembly, 128 were against him. So he does not represent the international community," Shaath told CGTN on Thursday.

Hua stressed that “as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, a responsible major country and a friend to both Palestine and Israel, China has been actively promoting the Middle East peace process and peace talks to that end as a staunch supporter for peace.”

The spokesperson asserted that China will continue to seek a comprehensive, fair and enduring solution to the Palestine-Israel issue at an early date and bring about peace in the Middle East, guided by President Xi Jinping’s four-point proposal.

“China maintains that the principles of historical diversity, justice and fairness, international consensus and peaceful co-existence shall be upheld so as to arrive at a solution through the final status negotiations that conforms with relevant UN resolutions and takes into account the interests of all parties. Palestine and Israel shall respect each other's right to existence and more importantly, refrain from making any moves that may further worsen the situation,” she said.

(With input from agencies)

[Top photo: A Palestinian woman walks past the Dome of the Rock shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. /VCG Photo]

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