Beijing proposes four-point peace plan to Abbas

Chinese President Jinping presents plan calling for independent Palestinian state, resumption of peace talks with Israel.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
China's President Xi Jinping (R) and his Palestinian counter (photo credit: REUTERS/Jason Lee)
China's President Xi Jinping (R) and his Palestinian counter
(photo credit: REUTERS/Jason Lee)
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday issued a four-point proposal for peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Chinese news agency Xinhau reported that the proposal was made during a meeting between Jinping and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is currently visiting Beijing.
The four-point proposal, according to the agency, calls for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and peaceful coexistence with Israel.
“To establish an independent state enjoying full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders and with east Jerusalem as its capital is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people and the key to the settlement of the Palestinian question,” the Chinese proposal states.
“At the same time, Israel’s right to exist and its legitimate security concerns should be fully respected.”
The proposal calls for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians as the only way to peace between the two parties.
“The two sides should follow the trend of the times, pursue peace talks, show mutual understanding and accommodation, and meet each other halfway,” the proposal states.
“The immediate priority is to take credible steps to stop settlement activities, end violence against innocent civilians, lift the blockade of the Gaza Strip and properly handle the issue of Palestinian prisoners, in order to create the necessary conditions for the resumption of peace talks.
Comprehensive internal reconciliation on the part of the Palestinians will help restart and advance the Palestinian- Israeli peace talks.”
The third point of the proposal is that principles such as “land for peace” should be firmly upheld.
“The parties concerned ought to build on the existing achievements that include the principle of land for peace, the relevant UN resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative to advance the Middle East peace process,” it adds.
The fourth point calls on the international community to provide guarantees for progress in the peace process.
The Chinese president was quoted as telling Abbas during their meeting that the Palestinian issue is the core of the Middle East conflict.
“The issue, already lasting more than half a century, has brought deep suffering to the Palestinian people and remains an important reason of extended turbulence in the Middle East,” he said.
“So long as the legitimate national rights and interests of the Palestinian people cannot be restored, peace between Palestine and Israel would not be realized.”
He emphasized that the Palestinian issue “should not be neglected at any time and must be put in an important and noteworthy position.”
The Chinese president told Abbas that “despite turns and twists in peace talks between Palestine and Israel, we believe that the dream of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state can come true, provided [you] hold the general direction of peace and make unremitting efforts.”
The Chinese agency quoted Abbas as saying that a “political solution remains the best and only way out.”
He said that the Palestinians want to address the issue through peaceful negotiations on the basis of a two-state solution.
Abbas also urged Israel to abide by international agreements and halt settlement construction, so as to pave the way for the resumption of the peace talks.
Abbas and Jinping also signed agreements for economic and technical cooperation between the two sides.