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According to Israeli officials who spoke with the Times of Israel, senior US officials intervened at the UN Security Council (UNSC) on May 10th to block an initiative led by China that aimed to condemn Israel's recent military campaign in the Gaza Strip. Tel Aviv had reportedly requested Washington's interference out of concern that the motion would equate the actions of the Israeli army with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) resistance group.
Throughout the years, the United States has consistently shielded Israel from facing accountability for its widespread human rights violations, military occupation of Palestinian territory, and the implementation of an apartheid system that discriminates against Palestinians. The only exception to this pattern occurred earlier this year when the US allowed a statement at the UNSC criticizing Israel's expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. However, the US subsequently blocked a binding resolution against Israel.
In 1948, following the 'Nakba' or catastrophe, in which Jewish settlers forcibly displaced at least 700,000 Palestinians from their lands, former US President Harry Truman became the first world leader to recognize the establishment of Israel.
Israel has been the largest recipient of US foreign aid since World War II, and it enjoys unwavering political and diplomatic support from both the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as from US corporate media. Nonetheless, US influence in the region has been gradually diminishing in recent months, leading to increased isolation for Israel.
In a bid to mediate longstanding conflicts in the Middle East, China offered assistance last month in facilitating peace talks between Israel and Palestine. Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed support in December for ending the Israeli occupation of Palestine, expressing frustration over the historical injustice endured by Palestinians. President Xi also advocated for granting Palestine full membership in the United Nations and endorsed the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
China has strongly criticized the comments made by a senior Israeli government minister in March, who denied the existence of the Palestinian people. Wang Wenbin, a spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, condemned the Israeli official's denial of Palestinian existence and the display of an 'Israel map' including Jordan and Palestinian territories occupied by Israel during an event in Paris, describing it as wrong and irresponsible.