Keep Pressure on China to Condemn Hamas Attacks: Former Senator Doug Jones

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrives for a bilateral meeting with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao at the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing on October 9, 2023. ANDY WONG/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Former Alabama Democrat Senator Doug Jones is keeping the pressure on the Chinese Communist Party to more forcefully condemn the Palestinian terrorists that launched an extensive coordinated attack from Gaza on Oct. 7, killing hundreds of Israeli civilians.

In an interview with NTD News’ “Capitol Report” on Thursday, Mr. Jones said a forceful condemnation of the Oct. 7 attacks by the Chinese regime “could have a dramatic effect” on the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group, by signaling to its partners in the region that the Chinese people won’t condone the violence from the Palestinian side.

Since the Oct. 7 attacks, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have carried out retaliatory strikes over Gaza and have blockaded the territory, cutting off food, water, and electricity to the area.

At a press briefing on Monday, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning said the Chinese regime is “saddened by the civilian casualties” and opposes “moves that escalate the conflict and destabilize the region.” When asked if the regime considers Hamas to be a terrorist organization, the foreign ministry official avoided using the label and reiterated that China hopes to see the two sides “end hostilities and restore peace as soon as possible and work together to de-escalate the situation.”

By contrast, the U.S. and Israeli governments have both specifically designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.

“It’s hard to gauge what they were doing other than just trying to play both sides against the middle,” Mr. Jones said of the CCP’s initial statements on the Oct. 7 attacks. “And unfortunately you just can’t do that in a situation like this. This is not about a two-state solution. This is about a pure act of barbarism and terrorism.”

China, Russia Could Be Emboldened

The former senator from Alabama said the Hamas attacks may serve to embolden other entities around the world hungering to expand their own territory and global influence.

“A fear right now is that instability in the Middle East will embolden [Russian President Vladimir Putin] in Ukraine and elsewhere. And there is a fear that it will embolden China, whether it is an attack on Taiwan or in other areas, [and] that it will embolden North Korea to do things that it has no business doing,” Mr. Jones said.

Mr. Jones said he’s confident in the ability of the Biden administration and the U.S. government to respond to new challenges in other parts of the world but said it’s critical that the United States keeps up pressure on these other powers.

Schumer Key to Pressuring China

The Oct. 7 attacks came as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) led a bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators to China.

Mr. Jones said his former Senate colleague, who is the highest-ranking Jewish public official in the United States, made for a powerful messenger to pressure China to condemn the attacks.

“I don’t think there was a better spokesman and better emissary to express the United States’ outrage at what is happening over in Gaza and in Israel over this past weekend,” he said. “I don’t think there was a better one than Senator Schumer, to look [Chinese leader Xi Jinping] in the eye, and other Chinese officials to say, ‘We need more, we need more support for Israel.’”

Mr. Jones said the U.S. side could understand the desire to advance a two-state solution between the Israelis and the Palestinian people, but said the focus now needs to be on condemning terrorism.

Speaking at a press conference at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday, Mr. Schumer said that upon meeting with the Chinese president this week, he expressed how “deeply disappointed” he was by the CCPs initial reaction to the Hamas attacks in Israel. The Senate majority leader said the Chinese side had “rectified” the matter and had assured him that they would call on Iran and Hezbollah to refrain from getting involved in the current conflict between Israel and Hamas.

The visit to China by the bipartisan group of U.S. senators comes amid a period of strained relations between the United States and China. In addition to addressing the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Mr. Jones said the Senate delegation’s visit to China can serve to improve U.S.–China relations.

“[The fighting between Israel and Hamas] was not anticipated when this trip was planned. I think the fact that he went shows a continuing commitment of the United States to more normalized relationships, with China,” Mr. Jones said. “It’s been very tense over the last few years. I think the fact that President Xi actually met with Senator Schumer and a bipartisan group of senators, sends a strong message both ways.”

From NTD News