On July 23, in the presence of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, representatives of Hamas and Fatah signed the Joint Beijing Declaration, marking their reconciliation. However, a few days later, Israel assassinated Hamas’ negotiator in Tehran Ismail Haniyeh. Wang then called his Iranian counterpart, Ali Bagheri. He offered his support and recognized Iran’s right to defend its sovereignty.

The last diplomatic contacts between China and Israel date back to the phone conversation of the two foreign ministers ten months ago, on October 23.

China’s Middle East negotiator Zhai Jun has toured the region, except Israel. On the other hand, China has accused the Jewish state of provoking a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Ties between China and Israel have developed rapidly after establishing diplomatic relations in 1991. The family of Jerusalem mayor and future prime minister Ehud Olmert was originally from China. Trade volumes doubled from 2013 to 2022, catapulting China to second place behind the United States, Israel’s largest trading partner. Beijing planned to run the New Silk Road through Haifa and had invested heavily in upgrading the port.

But when rivalries between China and the United States intensified under former President Donald Trump, Chinese control of Haifa was challenged and Israeli cooperation with China steadily declined.

Today, Beijing is planning to run the Silk Road through its ancient route, via Iran, Iraq, Palmyra and Tartus (Syria).

A large majority of Israeli Jews now perceive China as a hostile power.

The rapprochement between Fatah and Hamas was followed by a speech by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. He announced that he would visit Gaza for the first time since 2006 and take action to reunify the Palestinian territories. “Victory or death!” he declared.

Egypt, which is taking part in the Doha talks, has asked the two factions to agree on specific issues, including the management of Gaza, border crossings and how to deliver humanitarian aid.

In response, Israel assassinated Khalil Maqdah, a Fatah official in Lebanon and brother of the commander of the Al-Aqsa Brigades in Lebanon. He was directing the transfer of Iranian weapons to the West Bank. Tel Aviv is convinced that if Chinese efforts are successful, it is because Iran is secretly associated with them.

This article is the editorial of issue 96 of “Voltaire, international newsletter”. The world is changing fast. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter; an exceptional source of information on the transition to a multipolar world.