Xi Urges Immediate Gaza Ceasefire In BRICS Meeting, As Beijing Hosts Summit Of Muslim Nations

Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and other leaders joined United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for an ‘extraordinary’ meeting of the BRICS bloc of developing countries to discuss the Israel-Hamas war Tuesday. 

Leaders of Brazil, India and South Africa were present for the virtual meeting along with countries which are set to soon join BRICS (in January), including Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates.

During Xi’s address, he urged an immediate Gaza ceasefire toward realizing “lasting peace and security,” according to Xinhua. He further asserted in the virtual remarks that without a “just settlement” on the Palestinian question, there will remain “no enduring peace and stability in the Middle East.”

He called for all parties to immediately agree to ceasefire and stop all violence, including attacks which target civilians. Xi additionally said that all civilian detainees must be released to “avoid more loss of lives and suffering.” Xi further emphasized China’s desire to ultimately see a two-state solution provide a lasting peace.

According to more from a summary of Xi’s remarks:

“China will provide more support and assistance to the people in Gaza, and is calling for humanitarian corridors to protect civilians. The root cause of the Palestine-Israel crisis is that the right to existence and the right of return of Palestinian people have long been ignored.”

China’s foreign ministry the day prior echoed the same, with FM Wang Yi saying the world “must act urgently” in Gaza and establish a ceasefire. “The international community must act urgently, taking effective measures to prevent this tragedy from spreading. China firmly stands with justice and fairness in this conflict.”

He made the remarks while greeting visiting leaders of Arab and Muslim majority nations who gathered in Beijing. This included the top diplomats of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the Palestinian National Authority, and Indonesia. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation is also represented for the two-day meeting in Beijing. 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud agreed, saying: “The message is clear: the war must stop immediately, we must move to a ceasefire immediately, and relief materials and aid must enter immediately.”

As expected, the participants in Beijing have tended to place blame on soaring civilians deaths squarely on Israel. FM Wang voiced this in the following statement: “Israel should stop its collective punishment on the people of Gaza, and open up a humanitarian corridor as soon as possible to prevent a humanitarian crisis of a larger scale from taking place,” he told the summit delegates.