Middle East Monitor / March 25, 2021
The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) has welcomed the Chinese invitation for Palestinians to talk with Israelis in Beijing, Anadolu Agency reported on Wednesday.
Member of PLO’s Executive Committee Wasel Abu-Yousef hailed the official Chinese stance on the Palestinian cause, represented by its support for the creation of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
However, Abu-Yousef told Anadolu Agency: “The priority now is for holding an international peace conference based on the international resolutions.”
Early on Wednesday, Al-Arabiya TV, based in Dubai, reported Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussing in an interview the Chinese government’s plans to invite Israelis and Palestinians to hold talks in China.
Palestine has previously rejected US mediation for peace talks with the Israelis during the Donald Trump administration. However, it has stated that it is ready to cooperate with the Biden administration.
Israeli-Palestinian talks stopped in April 2014 when the Israeli government refused to meet its pledges, including releasing a batch of veteran Palestinian prisoners, stopping settlement expansion and accepting a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders.
