China urges Israel to rethink its policies

Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged West Jerusalem to reverse settlement expansion and allow humanitarian aid into Gaza during talks with President Isaac Herzog

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Israel to halt and reverse the establishment of settlements in the occupied West Bank, describing the Palestinian issue as the “greatest historical injustice of this century,” according to a ⁠statement released by Beijing following his meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

The two officials met on Thursday on the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Wang said achieving peace and reconciliation in the Middle East remained a cornerstone of Chinese foreign policy, stressing that a two-state solution was the only viable path toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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The Chinese diplomat also warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remained critical despite the ceasefire reached a year ago.

“The immediate priority is to fully open access to Gaza,” Wang said, arguing that two million civilians must not be left struggling to survive or exposed to a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.

He added that Israel should “stop and reverse” its efforts to forcibly establish settlements in the West Bank.

Herzog, meanwhile, said Israel wanted peace but continued to face “security threats.” In a post on X, he claimed Iran and its regional allies were the primary dangers.

The meeting comes amid continued Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank, which Israel occupied during the 1967 Six-Day War. Most countries consider the settlements illegal under international law, a position Israel disputes, citing historical claims and security concerns. Settlement construction has long been a major obstacle in negotiations over a Palestinian state.

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According to figures compiled by UN agencies and settlement monitors, more than 750,000 Israeli settlers lived in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in 2025. The same year, the Israeli authorities approved 54 new settlements and established 86 additional outposts.

Settlement expansion has also coincided with rising violence against Palestinians. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs documented 1,828 settler attacks causing casualties or property damage in 2025, up from 1,420 in 2024 and 1,189 in 2023 – the highest annual total since monitoring began in 2006. 

China has repeatedly backed Palestinian statehood and sought a greater diplomatic role in the Middle East. Beijing brokered the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023 and hosted talks between rival Palestinian factions in 2024, although the resulting reconciliation agreement has yet to be implemented.