Wang Yi tells Israel's president to stop 'forced establishment' of West Bank settlements

Why it matters

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday (Oct. 15) in Azerbaijan, on the sidelines of the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), where Wang attended as the special representative of President Xi Jinping. China's foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday that Wang told Herzog Israel should stop and reverse its "forced establishment" of settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Wang said China has consistently viewed the Palestinian question as "the greatest historical injustice of this century," and described promoting peace and reconciliation in the region as the "cornerstone" of China's Middle East policy. He said the "two-state solution" is the right path to a settlement, and that the immediate priority is to fully open humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip so that a humanitarian catastrophe is not allowed to spread.

Wang added that 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.

Herzog said in a post on X that the meeting focused on relations between the two countries and the situation in the Middle East. His office declined to comment on whether the West Bank or the Palestinians were discussed, and said Herzog emphasized the strategic threat from Iran and its proxies.