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China Urges Israel to Halt West Bank Settlements
Confirmed
In Short: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for Israel to stop settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and open Gaza to humanitarian aid.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged Israel to halt and reverse the 'forced establishment' of settlements in the occupied West Bank, according to reports from Arabnews and The Vibes.
Wang emphasized the need for a two-state solution and stressed the importance of fully opening access to Gaza to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, as reported by Al Jazeera and Oz Arab Media.
The minister's comments came during talks with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, where Wang also expressed China's willingness to work with the international community to encourage dialogue and seek a political settlement.
In a separate development, the UK government announced sanctions on trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, a move that has strained relations between the two countries.
The British Consulate General in East Jerusalem ceased operations under that name after Israel ordered it closed in retaliation for the UK's sanctions on illegal Israeli settlements.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of Israel called for the UK's ambassador to be ejected from the country, describing the UK as 'a country conquered by radical Islam' and 'antisemitic.'
The UK's decision to impose sanctions on Israeli settlements marks a significant shift among countries that have long criticized the settlement enterprise but avoided concrete action.
The European Union also condemned Israel's move to open a construction tender for the E1 settlement project, stating it 'fundamentally harms' the prospect of a two-state solution.
Despite backlash from the White House and Labour MPs, the UK government is pushing forward with its sanctions on Israeli settlements, according to Lbc.
The Israeli government's decision to publish construction tenders for the E1 settlement project has drawn criticism from the EU and other international bodies.
The UK's move to sanction Israeli settlements has been met with mixed reactions, with some seeing it as a political maneuver to appeal to pro-Palestinian voters.
The announcement of sanctions on Israeli settlements comes after Israel opened tenders for the construction of 1,200 settlement homes in the E1 area, east of Jerusalem.
What's confirmed
- “The Palestinian question is the greatest historical injustice of this century,” China’s foreign minister said.
- Wang emphasised that the “two-state solution” is the right path to a resolution and said the immediate priority is to fully open access to the Gaza Strip so a humanitarian “catastrophe” is not allowed to spread.
- The foreign minister said China was willing to work with the international community to encourage all parties to return to dialogue as soon as possible and seek a political settlement.
- The expected announcement by the UK government comes after Israel opened up tenders for the construction of some 1,200 settlement homes in the so-called E1 area - a strategically important area east of Jerusalem.
What's still developing
- In 2021, Beijing signed a 25-year “comprehensive strategic partnership agreement” with Tehran.
- The talks covered the US-Israel war on Iran, with both presidents urging “diplomatic solutions” to reach a “comprehensive agreement to end the war”, according to a statement from Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s spokesperson.
- Arab News | China tells Israel to stop its ‘forced establishment’ of West Bank settlements Saudi Arabia News The Place The Space Who's Who KSA Today Green & Blue Middle East World Business Insight Energy Finance Giga-Projects Mining Startups Tourism & Transport Eye On AI Media Lifestyle Art & Culture Fashion Offbeat Travel Entertainment Food & Health The Six Books & Gaming Opinion Sport Saudi Football Saudi Pro League Football Motorsport Tennis Cricket Golf Research & Studies Research Papers YouGov Deep Dive Preachers of Hate Podcast Arab News Arab News PK Arab News JP Arab News FR Friday.
- 2 / 2 A Palestinian checks damage in a mosque, which Palestinians say was burned by Israeli settlers, in Mukhmas, near Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, October 14, 2026.
- Miliband opened the statement by describing himself as a "proud British Jew" with "the deepest gratitude to the State of Israel," recalling how his grandmother found refuge there after losing her husband and 60 other family members at the hands of the Nazis.
- Last week, Miliband said he would unveil a "comprehensive reset" of the British government's policy on Israel.
- Another way of looking at it would be recognition that the Government is going with the flow of public opinion, which a YouGov poll shows approving the ban on trade with Israeli settlements by 52 per cent to 17 per cent against.
- Some pundits see all government actions through the myopic lens of party politics, so they suspect that sanctions on Israeli settlements are simply a bid to dash the Greens and steal their pro-Palestinian political clothes before the Holborn and St Pancras by-election.
- Israel has hit out at Ed Miliband’s plans, calling them ‘outrageous lies’ after a raft of sanctions were announced on Tuesday Israel has hit out at Ed Miliband’s plans, calling them ‘outrageous lies’ after a raft of sanctions were announced on Tuesday Donald Trump did not push back on British plans to sanction Israeli settlements in the West Bank after being informed of the plans by Andy Burnham.
- A Western official briefed on the call said: “There was no request to hold off.” US secretary of state Marco Rubio also suggested a lack of opposition to the move, which was followed by 11 other countries, and did not criticise the announcement.
- Smotrich added that Israel would not be "a doormat trampled by an antisemitic government," and called the UK " a country conquered by radical Islam, trying to save itself from economic and social decline by attacking Jews and the State of Israel."
- As 12 countries move to restrict such imports, Israeli businesses inside the Green Line could end up paying the price In a coordinated announcement last Tuesday, 12 countries – including Britain and France – said they would introduce or consider restrictions on trade in goods with Israeli settlements.