Brief
China urges Israel to halt forced West Bank settlement expansion
Foreign Minister Wang Yi appealed to President Herzog in Baku to stop forced settlement growth and push for a two‑state solution.
By Felo News Desk · Published
China’s foreign minister Wang Yi told Israeli President Isaac Herzog to stop and reverse the “forced establishment” of West Bank settlements during a meeting in Azerbaijan, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
What happened
Wang made the remarks on Friday, 16 October 2026, while attending the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence‑Building Measures in Asia in Baku. He said China views the Palestinian question as “the greatest historical injustice of this century” and urged Israel to fully open the Gaza Strip to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe.
What the reports add
Al Jazeera noted that Wang emphasized the “two‑state solution” as the correct path and said China is ready to work with the international community to push all parties back to dialogue. The report also linked the comment to President Xi Jinping’s September visit to Cairo, where he called for a new Middle‑East security framework and opposed external influence.
What was said
“The Palestinian question is the greatest historical injustice of this century,” Wang told Herzog, according to the ministry’s statement. He added that the immediate priority is to open Gaza fully and that China will cooperate with other nations to seek a political settlement.
How it came about
The statement follows Xi’s rare Cairo trip, which aimed to expand Beijing’s influence in the region amid the ongoing US‑Israel war on Iran. Earlier this year, Felo reported on related settlement issues, including U.S. senators proposing sanctions on the E1 West Bank plan and Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich’s call for war in the West Bank.
Key facts
- China’s foreign minister Wang Yi urged Israel to stop forced settlement activity in the West Bank. (aljazeera.com)
- Wang made the comments during a meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Baku on 16 Oct 2026. (aljazeera.com)
- Wang called the Palestinian question the greatest historical injustice of the century and advocated a two‑state solution. (aljazeera.com)
Sources
- [1] aljazeera.com — originally reported as “China tells Israel to stop ‘forced establishment’ of West Bank settlements”
