China says Israel should stop its ‘forced establishment’ of West Bank settlements

BEIJING, Oct 16 (Reuters) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that Israel should stop and reverse its “forced establishment” of West Bank settlements, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.

China has consistently held that the Palestinian question is the greatest historical injustice of this century, Wang told Herzog during a meeting in Azerbaijan, the ministry added.

• Wang said that promoting peace and reconciliation in the region is the “cornerstone” of China’s Middle East policy

• China believes that the “two-state solution” is the right path to a resolution and the immediate priority is to fully open access to the Gaza Strip so a humanitarian “catastrophe” is not allowed to spread, Wang added

• At the same time, Israel should stop and reverse its forced establishment of settlements in the West Bank, he said

• China is willing to work with the international community to push all parties to return to dialogue and consultation as soon as possible and seek a political settlement of the conflict, Wang added

• China has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause and Beijing also has close ties with Israel’s main regional foe, Iran

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Thomas Derpinghaus)