PA official says China could be 'honest broker' in Israel-Palestine talks
Aug. 19, 2017 5:29 P.M. (Updated: Aug. 19, 2017 5:29 P.M.)
http://www.maannews.com/Content.aspx?id=778746
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- A senior Palestinian official told a Chinese newspaper
that China could be an "honest broker" between Israel and Palestine, and
that the country could have an important role in future peace agreements.
China's Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday that Tayeb Abdul Rahim,
secretary-general of the Palestinian presidency and an aide to President
Mahmoud Abbas, had told the outlet in a recent interview that China's role
in future peace negotiations could "help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict based on the two-state solution."
According to Xinhua, Rahim was responding to a proposal that was developed
between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Chinese President Xi Jinping
as part of a meeting the two held in Beijing in July, though Abbas had cut
the trip short and returned to the occupied West Bank amid rising tensions
around Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem.
The proposal set out in Beijing confirmed China's support for a two-state
solution on 1967 border lines with East Jerusalem as the capital of
Palestine and focused on strengthening political and economic ties between
China and the occupied Palestinian territory.
The meetings in Beijing were aimed at reaffirming the longstanding
relationship between China and Palestine, as China was one of the first
countries to recognize the Palestinian state in 1988 and the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO), which opened up an embassy in Beijing in
1974.
According to Xinhua, China is also expected to host a symposium on the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process later on this year in order to launch
dialogue between Palestine and Israel, with the aim of galvanizing the long
stalled peace negotiations.
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