Photo by [The Times of Israel]
According to Thembisa Fakude, Senior Researcher at AFRASID, the arrival of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in China can be seen as a strategic accomplishment for the Chinese, aimed at strengthening their relations and influence in the Middle East.
This visit by President Abbas comes after China’s effective mediation in facilitating the restoration of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Additionally, China is actively seeking to supplant Western influence in the region.
“The Chinese have been very busy in the Middle East. They’ve also managed to bring in the Iranians and the Saudis together. So this is part of that process of China trying to take over mainly from the Europeans and Americans.”
According to reports, the Palestinian President received a warm reception in Beijing with elaborate military honours. President Xi Jinping referred to the two countries as “good friends and partners.”
During his three-day visit, President Abbas aims to enhance collaboration between Palestine and China, among other objectives. China has also expressed willingness to support the Palestinians and facilitate peace talks with Israel.
Possible Solutions to the Palestine/Israel Conflict
While President Xi expressed to the Chinese state media that, “The fundamental solution to the Palestinian issue lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Fakude holds the belief that the creation of two states is realistically unattainable.
Although there are proponents of the two-state solution, there are also those who advocate for a single state where equality, rights, and freedoms are shared among all people. Fakude asserts that similar to the situation in South Africa, a one-state solution is the most feasible and achievable option.
The reasoning behind this viewpoint is that the Palestinian state, its population, and its settlements are fragmented throughout the country, making it challenging to establish a clearly defined geographical space with distinct borders. Moreover, Israeli expansion into Palestinian territories has exacerbated this fragmentation.
“They can achieve a country like ours, where it’s one country with different peoples. I know it’s difficult, and to many people, it’s a pipe dream, but that’s what the Palestinians must continue pushing for. Because geographically it’s just an impossible mission to have a Palestinian state … There’s no country like that on a map in the world, where you’ve got small little pockets everywhere, where Palestinians are living.”
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Normalising Ties with Israel, Weakening the Palestinian Cause?
Over time, Arab states have established normalised relations with Israel to such an extent that Israel’s Independence Day was recently celebrated in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
This situation gives rise to the perception that the Arab world and the broader international community are gradually embracing the current state of affairs and the oppression experienced by the Palestinians. Consequently, the sense of urgency for a resolution to the conflict is slowly diminishing.
However, as South Africans who fought against Apartheid, rejecting such injustices is deeply ingrained in our values, and we are driven never to accept them anywhere.
Fakude maintains that the visit of the Palestinian President will not alleviate the daily suffering endured by the Palestinian people. The only way to end this suffering is if Israel ceases its expansion into Palestinian territories, withdraws its forces, and allows for the opening up of cordoned-off Palestinian areas, enabling the Palestinians to live normal and liberated lives.
“Mahmoud Abbas can do whatever he wants to do, but until we have the Israeli occupation ended, and the Palestinians are afforded their rights to be Palestinians, we’re still going to have this same situation. Many people before have tried, and this trip means nothing except that you have the President who has left the country to go to another country. The Palestinians continue with their normal suffering today as they did yesterday.”
