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

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