After vain calls for ceasefires from almost everywhere since the Hamas attack on Saturday October 7, the conflict continues in Israel and Gaza. A joint statement was published Monday, October 9, affirming total support for the Jewish state from five major Western countries. China does not want to take sides.
Israel’s response is underway on Tuesday, October 10, with a “total siege” of the Gaza Strip by the IDF. Since the Hamas commando attack on Saturday, there have been to date more than 900 deaths on the Israeli side, nearly 700 deaths on the Palestinian side, and thousands of injured on both sides.
In a joint statement published late in the evening of Monday October 9, France, Germany, the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom, affirm that they “will support Israel’s efforts to defend itself.” And if they declare “recognize the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people”they add that “Nothing, ever, justifies terrorism. Hamas offers nothing to the Palestinian people other than more terror and bloodshed.”
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For Germany and its Nazi past, support for Israel is a “reason of state”
In Germany, we are witnessing a barrage of condemnations against Hamas. Due to Germany’s Nazi past and the Holocaust, Berlin expressed its unconditional support for Israel this weekend, where Olaf Scholz recalled: “The security of Israel is a reason of state for Germany. This is especially the case in difficult times like these.” On Thursday, October 12, the Chancellor must solemnly repeat it before the Bundestag.
It is also a gesture aimed at the Palestinian community in Germany, because in several cities in Germany, Palestinians demonstrated in support of Hamas this weekend, causing a shock in the country. Many stateless Palestinians, often from refugee camps in Lebanon, have lived in the Federal Republic since the 1970s. Hamas and its symbols are banned in Germany, and so were these demonstrations.
In the United Kingdom, both the population and politicians are very involved
Two rallies took place Monday evening in the English capital. The first took place in front of 10 Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s residence, with a vigil organized in tribute to the Israeli victims after the Hamas attack. The second took place in front of the Israeli embassy, where several thousand people demonstrated their support for the Palestinian people.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited a synagogue and said he “would stop at nothing” to ensure the safety of the UK Jewish community. The Scottish Prime Minister, Humza Yousaf, says that his in-laws visiting a sick relative in Gaza are now stuck there. “Worried sick”he says that “like most residents of Gaza, they have nothing to do with Hamas and terrorism”but specifies that he condemns “strongly” and unequivocally the Hamas attack.
China maintains its mediating position by remaining neutral
China, for its part, adopts a different position, it does not opt for a condemnation of Hamas and offers a vision which aims to be balanced. The Israeli embassy in Beijing said in a tweet this morning that it hoped that China would support the Jewish state in this difficult period, an implicit way for Israel to express regret over the Chinese position, which clearly does not reflect the difference between Hamas attacks and the Israeli military response on Gaza.
Without condemning the Islamist movement, Beijing on the contrary places the two parties on an equal footing, as confirmed in its columns by the very official Global Times : “All acts of violence targeting civilians are unacceptable and must be condemned regardless of the perpetrators.” This position cannot be explained by greater proximity to the Palestinians. Even though the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, was received with great fanfare in June, China also maintains excellent relations with Israel.
The opposite of the American attitude
His position is explained above all by a new desire to play a concrete role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, with the two-state solution as a working basis. For this role to be effective, China must be neutral. Still according to the Global TimeUS military support for Israel will only fuel tensions.
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