The leaders called on the Israeli government to reverse its approval of 5,700 new settlement units in the West Bank on June 26.
“The continued expansion of settlements is an obstacle to peace,” said Australian and Canadian Foreign Ministers Penny Wong and Mélanie Joly, as well as the UK’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs James Cleverly.
“We call on the government of Israel to reverse these decisions. We are also deeply troubled by the continued violence and loss of life in Israel and in the West Bank.
“The cycle of violence in Israel and the West Bank must be broken.”
They pledged to stand with the “Israeli and Palestinian people in their right to live in peace and security, with dignity, without fear and with their human rights fully respected.”
Israel Launches Drone Strikes On Jenin
Israeli and Palestinian armed forces are engaged in increasing levels of conflict over the past three weeks in the West Bank, with Israel launching its first drone strikes since 2006 on Jenin and raids on the city which have reportedly killed 20 Palestinians while four Israeli civilians were also killed.According to Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, Israeli security forces carried out operations against “terror hotspots” in Jenin.
“In the face of terrorism, we will take a proactive and decisive approach. Anyone who harms the citizens of Israel will pay a heavy price,” Gallant said.
Palestinian Leaders In Beijing For Bilateral Talks
The ramp-up in violence follows the decision by the Palestinian leadership to increase ties with Beijing.The Palestinian Authority (PA) has also signed on to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, Global Security Initiative, Global Civilization Initiative, and the Global Development Initiative—which the Chinese Communist Party claims look to establish an alternative model of international relations to Western liberal norms.
“We especially appreciate the Chinese side’s commitment to financing a number of development projects presented by Palestine. We wish the speedy dispatch of technical delegations to implement these projects,” Abbas said.
The upswing in relations comes as experts accuse Beijing of seeking to leverage the Middle East peace process to build its own influence.
Under its 2017 Four Point Plan, which calls for the re-establishment of the 1967 border between Israel and Palestine, the proposal looks to put Beijing in charge of all peace processes via a Tripartite Dialogue Mechanism.
The Mechanism would allow China to control peacekeeping forces in the territory, any reparation funding between Israel and Palestine, and grant China long-term access to the Middle East. Essentially pushing the U.S. and Western allies out of the region.
However, Beijing’s ability to actually implement the plan or get the parties to the negotiating table has been dismissed, with experts saying this is well out of the CCP’s capabilities.
This is because CCP aid and investment in Palestine remain insignificant despite the upswing in relations, with the Palestinians still heavily reliant on the U.S. for trade.
Likewise, Sino-Israeli economic ties are not faring well after the U.S. placed pressure on Israel to downgrade its ties with China, which it has done, leaving Beijing little room to maneuver.
“Great diplomatic accomplishments tend to take place when expert diplomats are presented with an exceptional geopolitical opportunity.
