Palestine welcomes China's offer to host Israeli-Palestinian talks

PLO member Wasel Abu Yousef hailed Beijing's stance on a Palestinian capital being established in east Jerusalem.

2 min read

24 March, 2021

Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967 [Getty]

A Palestinian official has welcomed China's offer to host talks between Palestinian and Israeli leaders in Beijing.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the invitation during an interview on Wednesday, as he embarked on a Middle East tour.

The announcement came after the Middle East Quartet of mediators - the US, UN, Russia and the EU - met on Tuesday to revive negotiations towards a two-state solution.

Wasel Abu Yousef, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation's Executive Committee, responded positively to the Chinese offer on Wednesday.

Abu Yousef praised Beijing for its support for a Palestinian capital being established in occupied east Jerusalem, Turkish state news agency Anadolu reported.

Ultimately Palestinian officials want "to hold an international conference for peace based on international legitimacy and resolutions", he added.

No Israeli official has commented on the offer.

On Tuesday, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) voted in favour of a resolution calling for an arms embargo against Israel.

The motion secured the support of some European countries but was rejected by Bahrain which previously supported such measures.

The resolution passed 32-6 and contained strong language against Israel's human rights practices.

It called for UN member states to stop transferring arms where "there is a clear risk that such arms might be used to commit or facilitate serious violations or abuses of international human rights law or serious violations of international humanitarian law".

Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in 1967.

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