Israeli security forces and rescuers gather in Jerusalem's predominantly Arab neighbourhood of Silwan, where an assailant reportedly shot and wounded two people, on January 28, 2023. Photo: VCG

In recent days, tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have surged.

On Thursday, Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp during a raid. On the same day, a Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces in the town of al-Ram, north of Jerusalem. On Friday, a Palestinian attacker shot dead seven people near a synagogue in occupied East Jerusalem before being fatally shot. On Saturday, a Palestinian shot and wounded two Israelis in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan, near Jerusalem's historic Old City, according to Al Jazeera.

There are several triggers for this new round of tensions. One is that the far-right elements of the new Israeli government seek to make it less likely for Israel to compromise over the Palestinian question. Another is that many Palestinians worry that the easing of relations between Israel and some Arab countries will further marginalize the Palestinian question.

Yet, these recent incidents between Israel and Palestine are not accidental. The continued Palestine-Israel conflict has deep and intricate historical, religious and ethnic causes. But in terms of geopolitics, the West, especially the US' long-standing unfair Middle East policy, which has been reprehended by the international community, has created obstacles to address the conflict.

In regard to this round of tensions, the US and some Western countries selectively expressed their stance. When speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the shooting attack in Jerusalem that claimed seven Israeli lives in a telephone call, US President Joe Biden stressed the "ironclad" US commitment to Israel's security. French President Emmanuel Macron said his thoughts were with the victims, their relatives and the Israeli people. Neil Wigan, the British Ambassador in Israel wrote on Twitter that "the UK stands with Israel."

It is noticeable that most of the ambassadors or embassies of these Western countries did not mention that before the shooting, the Israeli raid on Palestinian city of Jenin kills several Palestinians. Such a manner is in line with the consistent position of the West toward the Palestine-Israel conflict, that is, generally favoring Israel. This can explain why the Palestinian question has not been resolved. 

The US favors Israel mainly out of the purpose to defend its interests in the Middle East in virtue of Israel, the staunchest ally of the US in the Middle East. Washington hopes to control the entire Middle East region by utilizing Israel.

This policy is what the US has always practiced. Today, its approach has changed slightly. It fosters Israel to normalize relations with more Arab countries, which is to further isolate Palestine and Iran. For the US, it uses Israel to construct the regional order of the Arab countries, thereby controlling the entire Middle East region.

The US is not fulfilling its duty as a major power in tackling the Palestine-Israel conflict and other hot spot issues. It only wants to be responsible for its own interests. 

Regarding the recent escalation of tensions, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Sunday that "We [China] condemn all terrorist attacks targeting civilians and oppose excessive use of force." The spokesperson continued that the Palestine-Israel conflict has been recurring fundamentally because the two-state solution has not been delivered and the Palestinian people have long been denied their legitimate aspiration of establishing an independent state, and "the international community needs to act with a stronger sense of urgency and create conditions for the resumption of talks between Palestine and Israel."

China's stance on this matter, compared with that of the US and the West, is clearly more constructive. The spokesperson's line indicates that China looks at the whole history of the matter and discusses the subject without taking any sides. 

More importantly, China has emphasized that the issue must be addressed fundamentally, taking the opportunity to call on the international community to focus on the Palestine-Israel conflict again. The issue is already regarded as one of the world's most dangerous powder kegs. And as long as the conflict between Palestine and Israel has not been resolved entirely, it will detonate again in the future, and the Middle East will not truly usher in peace.

The escalation of the Palestine-Israel conflict demonstrates that China has always been a guardian of peace and a contributor to development in the Middle East. China stands ready to work with the international community to practice true multilateralism, push for a comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine, and achieve security, stability, development, and prosperity in the Middle East at an early date. 

Washington's unjust attitude and approach in dealing with the issue, on the other hand, has become a latent danger to peace and stability in the Middle East.

The article was compiled by the Global Times based on an interview with Li Weijian, a research fellow with the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, and vice president of the Chinese Association of Middle East Studies. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn