JABAR EKSPRES – Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki on Thursday said his country is increasingly looking at and turning to China because it is disappointed with US President Joe Biden’s administration for not keeping its promises.
“Three years have passed since President Biden’s promise, but we have not seen any (results) other than financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and hospitals in East Jerusalem,” Maliki told reporters at the Foreign Ministry office in the occupied West Bank on Friday (8/4).
Maliki also expressed Palestinian disappointment over the US stance in response to abuses committed by Israel, including its recent attack on the city of Jenin.
The Biden administration is disappointing, he said.
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Therefore, Maliki said that Palestine now has more hope in China, which supports Palestine’s full membership in the United Nations (UN).
“China is not only trying to increase its economic presence, but also its political presence in the Middle East. Many countries in the world want China’s support because it has become an important global player,” he said.
“There is no peace process in the Middle East. If that happens in the future, why shouldn’t China be involved with other countries?” he added.
Regarding recent claims about normalization efforts between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Maliki stressed that Saudi Arabia adheres to the two-state solution as a condition for normalizing relations with Israel, including supporting the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“We hope that Saudi Arabia will maintain its stance and not give in to any pressure. We want Saudi Arabia to listen to us, the rightful owners, and negotiate with us on this issue,” he said.
Peace negotiations between Palestine and Israel stalled in April 2014 due to a variety of factors, including Israel’s move to resume illegal Jewish settlement construction in the occupied West Bank and rejecting a two-state solution with the Palestinians.
