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China Calls for Peace Conference in the Middle East

A group photo of the leaders participating in the Arab-Chinese Cooperation Forum (Egyptian Presidency)
A group photo of the leaders participating in the Arab-Chinese Cooperation Forum (Egyptian Presidency)
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China Calls for Peace Conference in the Middle East

A group photo of the leaders participating in the Arab-Chinese Cooperation Forum (Egyptian Presidency)
A group photo of the leaders participating in the Arab-Chinese Cooperation Forum (Egyptian Presidency)

China called for a peace conference to end the war in Gaza, stressing its readiness to work with Arab countries to establish the “five frameworks of cooperation”.
The China-Arab States Cooperation Forum kicked off on Thursday in Beijing. The event represents a platform for strengthening bilateral relations between Arab countries and China, and deepening mutual understanding and strategic cooperation between the two sides.
Addressing the opening session, Chinese President Xi-Jinping said that his country will host the second edition of the China-Arab Summit in 2026, describing it as another “milestone” in the course of Chinese-Arab relations.
He added that China will work with the Arab side to consolidate cooperation in key economic fields such as oil and gas, trade and infrastructure, as well as in new areas such as artificial intelligence, investment, finance and renewable energy.
During the first edition of the China-Arab Summit in Riyadh in December 2022, Xi-Jinping put forward the “Eight Joint Actions” for practical cooperation. The five frameworks include a more dynamic basis for innovation, an expanded framework for investment and financial cooperation, a multifaceted structure for energy cooperation, a more balanced framework for mutually beneficial economic and trade relations, and a broader space for people-to-people exchanges.
With regard to the Middle East, the Chinese President said that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict “has escalated strongly and caused enormous suffering to the Palestinian people,” stressing “the necessity of stopping the war in the Gaza Strip.”
He added that the “war must not continue indefinitely, justice must not be absent forever, and commitment to the two-state solution must not sway according to whims.”
Addressing the session, Xi expressed his support for a “broad-based” peace conference to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
In a statement, Arab countries and China said that the forum contributed to strengthening Arab-Chinese relations in various political, economic, social, media and development fields.
UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed the importance of finding a horizon for just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East region based on the two-state solution.
Meanwhile, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged the international community to carry out its moral and legal responsibilities to “stop the brutal Israeli war.” He called for action without delay to “immediately and sustainably deliver humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip to put an end to the Israeli siege.”
In his speech, Secretary-General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit emphasized commitment to advancing relations between Arab countries and China towards a better future.
For his part, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan underlined the need for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, while ensuring adequate and continuous entry of aid, and finding a reliable and irreversible path to a two-state solution.

 

 

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Arab World

UN Condemns Child Death Toll from Israel’s West Bank Operations

Palestinians carry a giant Palestinian flag as they take part in a rally to mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 12, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians carry a giant Palestinian flag as they take part in a rally to mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 12, 2026. (Reuters)
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UN Condemns Child Death Toll from Israel’s West Bank Operations

Palestinians carry a giant Palestinian flag as they take part in a rally to mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 12, 2026. (Reuters)
Palestinians carry a giant Palestinian flag as they take part in a rally to mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, in Ramallah, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, May 12, 2026. (Reuters)

The United Nations condemned on Tuesday the toll from "escalating" Israeli military operations and settler attacks in the occupied West Bank on children, with 70 Palestinian children killed since the start of 2025.

"Children are paying an intolerable price for escalating military operations and settler attacks across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem," UN children's agency spokesman James Elder told reporters.

Since the start of 2025, when Israel began a large-scale military operation in the West Bank, "at least one Palestinian child has been killed on average every single week" there, adding that another 850 children had been injured during that period.

"Most of those killed or wounded were done by live ammunition," he said.

Israeli forces were responsible for a full 93 percent of the deaths, Elder said, highlighting that the scaled-up military operations had come amid "historic levels of settler attacks".

According to the UN, March 2026 saw the highest number of Palestinians injured by Israeli settlers in at least 20 years, he pointed out.

"Documented incidents include children shot, stabbed, children beaten and children pepper-sprayed," Elder pointed out.

He stressed that such incidents were taking place against the backdrop of the "steady dismantling of the conditions children need to survive and grow".

"Homes are demolished, education is destroyed, water systems are attacked, access to healthcare is obstructed, movement is restricted," he said.

- Mass displacement -

At the same time, there has been a dramatic spike in the number of barriers and restrictions imposed across the West Bank, meaning children in the Palestinian territory "are routinely cut off from schools, from hospitals and other essential services".

All of this has caused mass displacement, with more than 2,500 Palestinians -- 1,100 of them children -- displaced in just the first four months of this year in the West Bank.

"That surpasses the total displacement recorded in 2025," Elder pointed out.

Since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, after Hamas's attack in Israel, violence has also surged in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967 in contravention of international law.

Israeli soldiers or settlers have killed at least 1,070 Palestinians, including many fighters, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian Authority figures.

Official Israeli figures meanwhile show that at least 46 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or during Israeli military operations in the same period.

Arab World

EU Approves Full Restoration of Trade Relations with Syria

Asaad al-Shaibani (L), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian transitional government, shakes hand with Kaja Kallas, European High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, at the first EU-Syria High-level Political Dialogue in Brussels, Belgium, 11 May 2026. (EPA)
Asaad al-Shaibani (L), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian transitional government, shakes hand with Kaja Kallas, European High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, at the first EU-Syria High-level Political Dialogue in Brussels, Belgium, 11 May 2026. (EPA)
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EU Approves Full Restoration of Trade Relations with Syria

Asaad al-Shaibani (L), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian transitional government, shakes hand with Kaja Kallas, European High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, at the first EU-Syria High-level Political Dialogue in Brussels, Belgium, 11 May 2026. (EPA)
Asaad al-Shaibani (L), Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian transitional government, shakes hand with Kaja Kallas, European High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, at the first EU-Syria High-level Political Dialogue in Brussels, Belgium, 11 May 2026. (EPA)

The European Council announced on Monday that it had adopted a decision ending the partial suspension of the Cooperation Agreement between the European Economic Community and Syria, thereby fully restoring trade relations with Syria.

The Council added that the decision represents an important step toward strengthening bilateral relations between the European Union and Syria, Reuters reported.

In a statement, the European Council said the decision sends a clear political signal of the European Union’s commitment to re-engaging with Syria and supporting its economic recovery.

EU foreign ministers are set to meet with their Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shaibani, to launch a high-level “political dialogue,” a year and a half after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, reported AFP

A Brussels official explained that the EU aims to support Syria’s reconstruction process, despite what he described as a situation on the ground that remains “devastating” after fifteen years of civil war.

The official noted that around 13 million Syrians — nearly half the population — are in need of food assistance. In January, the EU pledged €620 million in financial aid for the 2026–2027 period.

Earlier this January, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, following her meeting in Damascus with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, pledged that Europe would do “everything in its power” to help rebuild Syria.

Arab World

Hezbollah Chief Says Group’s Weapons Not Part of Negotiations with Israel

17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyyeh: A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyyeh area. (dpa)
17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyyeh: A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyyeh area. (dpa)
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Hezbollah Chief Says Group’s Weapons Not Part of Negotiations with Israel

17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyyeh: A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyyeh area. (dpa)
17 April 2026, Lebanon, Jiyyeh: A displaced Lebanese woman flashes the victory sign and displays Hezbollah and Iranian flags as they drive along the highway linking Beirut to southern Lebanon in the Jiyyeh area. (dpa)

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem said Tuesday that his Iran-backed group's weapons were not part of upcoming negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, and vowed his fighters would turn the battlefield into "hell" for Israeli forces.

"Nobody outside Lebanon has anything to do with the weapons, the resistance... this is an internal Lebanese matter and not part of negotiations with the enemy," Qassem said in a written statement ahead of a third round of talks in Washington between Lebanese and Israeli representatives this Thursday and Friday.

"We will not surrender and we will continue to defend Lebanon and its people, however long it takes and however great the sacrifices... we will not abandon the battlefield and we will turn it into hell for Israel," he added in the statement, which was addressed to the group's fighters and broadcast on its Al-Manar television channel, as fighting continues in Lebanon despite a ceasefire.