China and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict
CONFLUENCES MEDITERRANEE
Can China make a difference to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? To address this, the article identifies two main forms of peace: negative (i.e. the absence/removal of violence) and positive (i.e. resolution of a conflict’s causes). China’s position in relation to these peace models and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are then considered. Attention is drawn to: China’s rising regional presence and concern with regional stability and order; its growing and deepening commercial interests with the conflict parties; its commitment to the Oslo process; its contributions towards dialogue between the two sides; and its lack of engagement with the local dynamics taking place in Israeli and Palestinian politics and civil societies. These factors alongside recent developments suggest that on balance point China envisages a negative peace scenario and so is therefore unlikely to be a significant player in resolving the conflict.
