China, Russia Plan to Work Together for Two-State Solution for Palestinians, Israel

Smoke rises in the northern Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike, as seen from Sderot, Israel, 20 October 2023. (EPA)
Smoke rises in the northern Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike, as seen from Sderot, Israel, 20 October 2023. (EPA)
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China, Russia Plan to Work Together for Two-State Solution for Palestinians, Israel

Smoke rises in the northern Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike, as seen from Sderot, Israel, 20 October 2023. (EPA)
Smoke rises in the northern Gaza Strip following an Israeli airstrike, as seen from Sderot, Israel, 20 October 2023. (EPA)

China and Russia share the same position on the Palestinian issue and plan to try to work together to cool the situation and help establish a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians, a top Chinese envoy said Friday.

Zhai Jun, China’s special envoy to the Middle East, spoke after a meeting Thursday in Qatar with Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian president’s special representative for the Middle East and Africa.

“The fundamental reason for the current situation of the Palestine-Israel conflict is that the Palestinian people’s lawful national rights have not been guaranteed,” Zhai said, according to a statement released on Friday by the Chinese foreign ministry.

“China and Russia have the same position on the Palestine question, and China is ready to maintain communication and coordination with Russia to promote de-escalation of the situation,” Zhai said.

The two countries want to “play a positive role in resuming talks for peace between Palestine and Israel, truly implementing the two-state solution, and promoting a comprehensive, just and enduring solution to the Palestinian question at an early date,” Zhai said.

China sent Zhai to the Middle East to push for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the latest sign of its ambition to play a larger role in the region.

The two sides confirmed their “unwavering focus on closely coordinating efforts for the political settlement of this and other crises in the Middle East and North Africa region,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said, according to the country’s Tass state news agency.

China, which sees the US as too pro-Israel, has said it opposes attacks on civilians, but hasn't condemned the initial Hamas attack that started the latest war. Instead, it has called for an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians as Israel bombards Gaza before a possible ground invasion.

“We believe that when dealing with hot spot issues in the international community, major powers should be objective and impartial,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Friday.

In his meeting with Bogdanov, Zhai said Beijing was saddened by “a great number of civilian casualties caused by the Palestine-Israel conflict and the sharp deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Palestine.”

Beijing describes Hamas as a “resistance movement,” not as a terrorist group as Israel and other countries do.

Analysts say that China wants to position itself as a mediator and exert its influence in the region as the US shifts its global attention elsewhere. But the latest Gaza war has drawn the US back in, with President Joe Biden visiting Israel this week.

Zhai also met with Qatar’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Mohammed Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

Mao, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said that Zhai would travel to other Middle Eastern countries, but she didn't give any further details.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week that “Egypt and other Arab countries highly appreciate China’s consistent and just position on the Palestinian question and expect China to play a bigger role in solving the current crisis,” according to a Chinese statement on their meeting.

Xi told Madbouly, who was in Beijing to attend a forum on China’s Belt and Road infrastructure-building initiative, that the top priority is to stop the fighting and prevent it from causing a severe humanitarian crisis.

He said China “stands ready to strengthen coordination with Egypt and other Arab countries to work for a comprehensive, just and enduring solution to the Palestinian question,” the Chinese statement said.



Türkiye Sends Massive Military Reinforcements to Northern Syria

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler attends the "Free Fire 2024" training on Thursday (Turkish Ministry of Defense)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler attends the "Free Fire 2024" training on Thursday (Turkish Ministry of Defense)
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Türkiye Sends Massive Military Reinforcements to Northern Syria

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler attends the "Free Fire 2024" training on Thursday (Turkish Ministry of Defense)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler attends the "Free Fire 2024" training on Thursday (Turkish Ministry of Defense)

Türkiye has sent major military reinforcements to its positions across various fronts in northwestern Syria, amid concerns over Israel expanding its attacks from Gaza to Lebanon and its strikes on targets in Syria.

In this context, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a secret parliamentary session on Thursday to discuss developments and threats to national security in light of Israel’s growing attacks and their proximity to Türkiye’s southern borders.

During the session, Defense Minister Yasar Güler and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan presented an overview of the situation in the region, focusing on Israeli strikes and potential threats to the country’s national security. The meeting will remain classified for 10 years.

Güler warned against dragging the region into significant turmoil due to Israel’s efforts to spread “state terrorism” in Lebanon. He stressed that this situation compels his country to be prepared for all possible scenarios and to adopt preemptive policies.

In the past two weeks, the Turkish army has sent significant military reinforcements, including convoys of equipment, soldiers, and logistical supplies, to areas controlled by Turkish forces, the Syrian National Army, which is loyal to Ankara, and areas controlled by Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Friday that Türkiye had sent massive reinforcements, including over 190 military vehicles, such as armored vehicles, tanks, personnel carriers, and trucks loaded with logistical equipment and ammunition. These were distributed across several strategic fronts in Idlib and Aleppo provinces, amid Ankara’s efforts to maintain its influence and prevent the outbreak of large-scale confrontations between the Syrian army and opposition forces.

The Turkish reinforcements coincided with HTS’s preparations for a major military operation against Syrian government-controlled areas to expand its control in the countrysides of Latakia, Hama, Idlib, and in the city of Aleppo and its western countryside, an area known as the “Putin-Erdogan” zone.

In response, the Syrian army has also sent significant reinforcements to the frontlines with HTS, particularly in Aleppo and Idlib.

According to SOHR, Türkiye has firmly rejected any military action by HTS and warned that it will not allow any wounded HTS fighters to be treated on Turkish soil. It also said that the country would block any military supplies from passing through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing in northern Idlib, which is a lifeline for northern Syria.

Alongside the heavy military build-up, Turkish military command has issued orders for all its forces and allied factions in northern Syria to be on full alert and to raise their level of preparedness.

A Turkish military official said on Thursday that his country is closely monitoring the situation and that no significant displacement toward the border with Syria has occurred amid the Israeli escalation in Lebanon.

He emphasized that Türkiye’s military operations in northern Syria are focused on two main objectives: combating terrorist organizations, referring to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the largest component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and preventing new waves of displacement from within Syrian territory.

In light of these developments, Moscow announced that it is preparing to hold the 22nd round of the Astana peace talks for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, after a 10-month pause.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said preparations are underway to organize the meeting in Kazakhstan’s capital, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

The 21st round of Astana talks took place on Jan. 25, with the participation of the three guarantor countries (Russia, Türkiye and Iran), as well as delegations from the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition. Representatives from Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq also attended as observers, along with representatives from the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.