Israel-Palestine dispute: China wants three-way talks as it pushes forward new Silk Road plans
Beijing has suggested a trilateral meeting with the two Mideast neighbours, but Jerusalem likely to resist mediation efforts, analysts say
China has suggested three-way talks with Israel and Palestinian authorities as it seeks to take a more active role in resolving the world’s most protracted territorial dispute.
The trilateral dialogue mechanism, which was raised by Chinese President Xi Jinping in a closed-door meeting with visiting Palestine Authority president Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday, is aimed at helping “coordinate and push forward key projects to assist Palestine”, according to a statement on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
However, with few other details, it remains unclear how the mechanism could bring the two sides together, with Israel reluctant to allow mediation by foreign powers, mainland experts say.
“We don’t even know if this will be an official dialogue or an unofficial one,” said Pan Guang, a professor at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. “But so far, I doubt if Israel would want any official involvement.”
Speaking to reporters after meeting Abbas in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Xi reaffirmed to Abbas, China would continue to support a two-state solution, with an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state, bounded by the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.