Chinese Help for Peace a Good Thing: Israeli Politician

Israel would welcome assistance from China in a bid to find peace with the Palestinian Authority, a member of Israel's parliament told Newsweek.

The comments came following the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) raid in the West Bank city of Jenin that began on Monday. Some 12 people have been killed and 120 injured, 20 seriously, in the raid, the Palestinian Health Ministry said Tuesday. The IDF said it has arrested 120 suspected terrorists.

On Tuesday, a revenge car-ramming and stabbing attack in Tel Aviv left eight people injured. The alleged perpetrator was shot dead at the scene.

Amid this backdrop of violence, Chinese Embassy to the United States spokesperson Liu Pengyu told Newsweek that "China stands ready to work with the international community to actively contribute to the realization of the peaceful coexistence of Palestine and Israel."

"The fundamental solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the Palestinian question lies in the resumption of peace talks and the implementation of the two-state solution," Liu said.

On Tuesday, Hanoch Dov Milwidsky, a member of the Knesset (Israel's parliament) for Likud, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political party and the leading group in Israel's ruling coalition, supported China's offer.

Milwidsky told Newsweek: "Whoever wants to do good is a good thing. I don't see anything wrong with China wanting to help."

However, he was pessimistic about possible negotiations and poured cold water on the notion of a two-state solution touted by China.

"You can't make peace talks with terror organizations," he said, referring to Hamas, which claimed responsibility for the Tel Aviv terror attack, calling it a "heroic" response to the raid on Jenin. Hamas has been designated a foreign terror organization by the U.S. State Department.

"I don't think there is a two-state solution," Milwidsky said, adding that he was not in a position to make that decision, as it would be up to Netanyahu and his government.

"To reach any sort of agreement with the Palestinians, we have to do it within ourselves," Milwidsky continued, referring to Israel's 2 million Arabs citizens. "One of the main issues this government needs to [address] is to glue the nation back together again.

"Until that happens, we won't be able to do deals with other nations."

Milwidsky added that Israel was "talking constantly with the U.S." over developments in the region.

Last week, Netanyahu said he had been invited to China in an announcement that notably contained a mention of Israel's relationship with the United States being at an "all-time peak." Netanyahu publicly traded barbs with U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this year over the prime minister's planned judicial overhaul, and U.S. officials have warned Israel about having commercial ties with China.

Netanyahu's trip to China would follow Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' visit to Beijing in June, which saw Abbas meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. During their talks, the Chinese leader expressed to Abbas a willingness to help facilitate peace talks with Israel.

For now, the situation in Jenin could be starting to stabilize. Israeli military officials told Reuters on Tuesday they had begun withdrawing their forces from the city even as media outlets still reported gunfire and explosions across Jenin.