Zhuoyue Yan & Xinyu Ma
October 9, 2024—After another incursion by the Israeli army, there are still intense combats in northern Gaza, leaving at least 400,000 Palestinians stranded and most recent evacuation orders blocked.
Hezbollah claimed that militants repelled two incursions by the Israeli army and that the combat appeared to have hindered its attack in southern Lebanon by wounding three Israeli soldiers.
The Israeli army has increased airstrikes in Hezbollah-held areas, such as the eastern Bekaa Valley and the southern Beirut suburbs, and extended its military ground operations in Lebanon.
The Middle East has garnered worldwide interest due to its abundant oil reserves, intricate religious and ethnic relationships, and geopolitical manoeuvres.
However, for a very long time, the region’s wars and conflicts have threatened global peace and stability in addition to causing great misery to the local populace.
Long a contentious topic in the Middle East, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is complicated by a number of interrelated factors, including geopolitics, religion, national identity, and foreign involvement, in addition to long-standing historical entanglements.
The long-standing disputes and divisions between Jews and Arabs lie at the heart of the historical foundations of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which stretches back to the early 1900s.
The region has been engulfed in a never-ending cycle of wars and conflicts since the State of Israel was established in 1948, leading to a growing degree of tension and complexity in ties between the two sides.
The war has its roots in the fierce land dispute between Israelis and Palestinians, with a particular focus on Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The Middle East’s animosity and anger continued to grow due to Israel’s occupation of large Arab territories, resulting in the region’s numerous wars, including the historic Six-Day War of 1967. This has uprooted the Palestinian people and created a refugee crisis.
Moreover, religious beliefs play a major role in the dispute, with Jews, Muslims, and Christians all attaching religious significance to Jerusalem.
Furthermore, the conflict has been shaped or impeded by the stances and actions taken by various nations and international organizations.
Since October 2023, persistent Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip have tragically caused at least 41,965 deaths and more than 97,590 injuries.
In response to attacks by militants of the Qassam Brigades, which resulted in about 1,140 deaths and 240 captures in the Gaza Strip, Israel launched its operations on October 7.
More than 17,000 children have lost one or both of their parents due to Israeli attacks, which have claimed the lives of at least 41,909 Palestinians residing in Gaza, including at least 16,756 children—the highest number of children killed in the conflict in the last 20 years.
Israel has persisted in its attacks, terrorizing the Gaza population and causing multiple family deaths, in defiance of international censure and pleas from human rights organizations. There have been at least 97,303 injuries in Gaza, and roughly 25% of them are considered serious, according to the World Health Organization.
Over a hundred hospitals and clinics have closed, leaving many patients without access to basic medical care. It is estimated that more than 10,000 people are buried beneath the debris in addition to the dead and injured.
Approximately 75,000 tons of bombs are thought to have been dropped on the Gaza Strip. Experts believe that clearing the more than 42 million tons of explosives—many of which are loaded with unexploded bombs—could take years.
Gaza’s residents have endured severe hardships due to the region’s protracted strife, including the danger of war, low economic conditions, and a shortage of supplies.
The local economy is on the verge of collapse due to the blockade policy, which has damaged infrastructure and left the population struggling to survive in appalling conditions.
As a major power, China has the responsibility to encourage an early end to the hostilities, reconstruct homes from the rubble, and assist the populace in seeing the light of day.
With solemnity, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the two-state solution— the creation of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital— is the essential step toward resolving the current crisis.
China has consistently taken an unbiased stance, advocating for a halt to hostilities and ensuring the uninterrupted passage of humanitarian aid.
The process of reaching a dialogue resolution between the Israeli and Palestinian sides has been aided by China’s “four-point proposal” and “five-point peace initiative” throughout the conflict.
These actions and suggestions have made it easier for the two parties to return to the negotiating table and encouraged them to use peaceful communication rather than violent confrontation to resolve their long-standing disputes.
China has persisted in promoting international collaboration, urging the global community to come together and offer the necessary support and assistance to achieve lasting peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Furthermore, China’s humanitarian concerns have drawn more attention from the international community to the conflict’s humanitarian crises and the protection of civilians, as well as the need for emergency aid and support for populations affected by the war.
China’s commitment to justice and fairness, along with its support for a reasonable and just settlement, has provided a strong moral foundation for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
China has actively supported the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, aiding in the establishment of peace and stability in the Middle East through its diplomatic efforts, humanitarian aid, support for a fair and reasonable solution, and calls for coordinated international action.
China places a strong emphasis on international cooperation and multilateralism. All parties should set aside their prior animosity, resume dialogue based on harmony and collaboration, and seek a win-win solution. The main obstacle to peace in the Middle East is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
China has consistently upheld the idea of a “community of human destiny” and encourages all sides to work together in seeking a lasting, peaceful resolution. Only by working together and resolving this long-standing dispute can we achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.
The world community has acknowledged and appreciated China’s stance and actions on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and will likely continue to do so in the future, helping to facilitate the early, comprehensive, fair, and long-lasting resolution of the conflict.
*The writers are Zhuoyue Yan and Xinyu Ma, scholars at the Baize Institute for Strategy Studies, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, P.R. China.
*The views and opinions expressed in this write-up are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of this publication.
