China confronts Herzog, demands Israel reverse settlements in Judea and Samaria

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi directly challenged President Isaac Herzog over Israeli settlements and Palestinian statehood during a meeting in Azerbaijan on Thursday, demanding that Israel halt and reverse settlement construction in Judea and Samaria.

Wang described the Palestinian issue as “the greatest historical injustice of the current century” and pressed for a two-state solution, renewed negotiations and expanded humanitarian access to Gaza. Meeting separately with Palestinian Authority officials, he warned: “The Palestinian issue should not be marginalized.”

Beijing has long backed a Palestinian state along pre-1967 lines, with eastern Jerusalem as its capital. The confrontation underscores China’s increasingly assertive diplomatic role in the Middle East, even as it maintains relations with Israel.

>