China offers to mediate between Israel and Palestinians

Offer comes after Beijing brokered a thawing of ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang spoke to both Palestinians and Israelis this week. AFP

China is highly concerned about heightened Israeli-Palestinian conflict and favours the two sides resuming peace talks as soon as possible, Foreign Minister Qin Gang said on Monday.

Mr Qin, in separate phone calls with his Israeli and Palestinian counterparts, said China is willing to play a constructive role in promoting peace in the region, according to statements posted by China's foreign ministry.

US-brokered peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza — territories Israel captured in the 1967 war — have stalled for almost a decade and show no sign of reviving.

Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Riyad Al Maliki, invited Mr Win to visit his country to celebrate 35 years of relations between the two nations.

President Mahmoud Abbas is due to visit China in June.

Mr Al Maliki also praised China's efforts to restore diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran in 2016, after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the north-western city of Mashhad were attacked during protests over Riyadh's execution of Shiite cleric Nimr Al Nimr.

The two Middle East powerhouses held several rounds of dialogue in Iraq and Oman before reaching the agreement to mend ties on March 10 in China.

In Monday's conversation, Mr Qin stressed that Palestine is a partner country to China, and discussed a meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the Arab-Chinese summit in Riyadh last year.

China supports Palestine's full membership in the UN and calls for the establishment of an independent and fully sovereign Palestinian state, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.