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A delegation of Arab leaders calls in Beijing for a ceasefire in Gaza

A delegation of Arab and Muslim ministers called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Monday during a visit to Beijing on the first leg of a tour to press for an end to hostilities and allow humanitarian aid to enter the devastated Palestinian enclave. .

The delegation, which will meet with representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, is also pressing the West to reject Israel's justification of its actions against the Palestinians as self-defense.

The officials who meet this Monday with the head of Chinese diplomacy, Wang Yi, come, among other countries, from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia, the Palestinian authorities and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

“We are here to send a clear signal: the fighting and killings must immediately stop, humanitarian supplies must be delivered to Gaza immediately,” explained Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

In comments published by his ministry in Loop. Unfortunately, there are large countries that provide cover for the current Israeli attacks.”

The Israeli ambassador in Beijing, Irit Ben-Abba, told foreign journalists in a briefing also held this Monday that she hoped there would be “no declaration from this visit about a ceasefire, now is not the time.”

Wang, of China, has affirmed that Beijing is a “good friend and brother of the Arab and Muslim countries,” and that it “has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate rights and national interests.”

Since the start of hostilities, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has repeatedly refrained from condemning Hamas, instead calling for detente and for Israel and Palestine to seek a “two-state solution” for a Independent Palestine.

Since the end of China's nearly three-year blockade, Xi has launched a diplomatic offensive aimed at countering the United States and its allies, which he says are trying to contain and repress his country. Beijing has deepened its alliances with multilateral groups led by non-Western countries, such as the BRICS bloc of nations, while strengthening ties with countries in the Middle East and the Global South.

On Monday, Wang added that China will work to "quell the fighting in Gaza as soon as possible, alleviate the humanitarian crisis and promote an early, comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue." (Reuters)