Israel and Hamas were engaged in a military conflict this month. While the international community wants to restore peace through diplomatic mediations, China, which happens to hold the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for May, has not condemned the violence. The Communist regime’s motive is questionable.
After a confrontation between Palestinians and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on May 7, Hamas began firing a large number of rockets at Israel. Subsequently, Israel launched an airstrike targeting senior Hamas leaders.
The conflict began with the incident at the mosque, but Hamas provoked the first military strike.
Speaking for the first time since the violence erupted, U.S. President Joe Biden on May 12 expressed hope that the military conflict would end as soon as possible, but also stated that Israel “has a right to defend itself.” The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israel and Palestine also went to the Middle East as a special envoy to mediate the conflict.
Western Countries Condemn the Violence
The U.N.’s Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland on May 11 warned “the cost of war in Gaza is devastating” and tweeted, “Stop the fire immediately.”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated on May 12 that “we need to see a cessation of the violence and attacks,” and “the rocket attacks from Hamas are absolutely unacceptable.”
On May 12, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Israel and the Palestinians to “step back from the brink” and called for both sides to “show restraint.”
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab tweeted on May 16: “The UK condemns Hamas’s attacks on civilians, and affirms Israel’s right to self-defence” and “All sides must avoid civilian casualties.”
Raab said he has spoken about the violence with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, on May 13 and strongly condemned the rocket launches against Israeli territory by Hamas and other terrorist groups. Meanwhile, Paris also restricted pro-Palestinian rallies to prevent serious disturbances to public order.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas blamed Hamas for the violence and said there would be “zero tolerance for attacks on synagogues in our country,” according to an interview with Funke media group on May 13.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press conference on May 13, “We believe that Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of freedom, security, dignity, and prosperity. That recognition will continue to drive our approach.”
Blinken stressed, “Israel has a right to defend itself from these rocket attacks and the fundamental difference between a terrorist organization in Hamas that is indiscriminately targeting civilians and Israel, which is defending itself and going after those that are attacking it.”
In a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on May 17, President Biden expressed support for a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers. According to the White House statement, Biden “encouraged Israel to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians,” while expressing support for Israel.
Meanwhile, diplomats from Arab countries also aimed at restoring peace through diplomatic efforts.
