China tells Israel to stop 'forced establishment' of West Bank settlements
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on the sidelines of a conference.
China urges Israel to halt ‘forced establishment’ of West Bank settlements
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has called on Israel to stop its “forced establishment” of settlements in the West Bank and to reverse its actions, according to his office.
Wang told Israeli President Isaac Herzog that the “Palestinian question” is “the greatest historical injustice of this century” during a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of a conference in Azerbaijan on Thursday.
Beijing has long backed the Palestinian cause and says a “two-state solution” is the “correct direction”.
In 2023, Beijing helped broker an agreement to restore diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia after years of hostility. Earlier this year, together with Pakistan, it also took part in efforts to propose a ceasefire in the US-Israel war against Iran.
China’s efforts to address the war in Gaza have centred on Palestinian unity.
In 2024, Beijing brought rival Palestinian factions to agreement on forming an interim “national reconciliation government” for the occupied West Bank and Gaza after the war with Israel, though it was never carried out.
Wang now says the “immediate priority” is to fully open access to Gaza and stop the ongoing spread of a “humanitarian catastrophe”.
China is ready to work with the international community to bring the parties back to dialogue and “seek a political solution to the conflict,” Wang said.
In a post on X, Herzog said he was “pleased” to meet Wang and that their discussion “focused on the relations between our countries and the situation in the Middle East”.
“I emphasised Israel’s desire for peace in the region, alongside the strategic threats to our security, first and foremost from Iran and its terror proxies,” he wrote.
China keeps close ties with Iran and is the largest buyer of Iranian oil, which had previously been subject to US sanctions because of Tehran’s nuclear programme.
One year into the ceasefire, people in Gaza continue to live under the constant threat of Israeli strikes, displacement and food security challenges.
Although large-scale bombardment has ended, Israel has continued strikes in Gaza almost every day.
More than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli strikes there in the year since the ceasefire began in October 2025.
The US-brokered ceasefire was the first phase of a deal to end the war in Gaza, which was triggered by a deadly Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
But progress to the deal’s next phase has stalled, with both Israel and Hamas accusing each other of violating the terms of their agreement.