Palestinian Paradiplomacy and China

BETWEEN DIPLOMACY AND NON-DIPLOMACY: FOREIGN RELATIONS OF KURDISTAN-IRAQ AND PALESTINE (Palgrave Macmillan)

BOOK CHAPTER ABSTRACT: Palestinian diplomacy with China is long-running, having begun in 1965 and experiencing significant shifts during that time. Despite the range and depth of the relationship though, it has arguably not led to a material improvement in Palestinians’ struggle for statehood and rights. The relationship began as a close partnership, with China providing both rhetorical and some military support to the Palestinian armed struggle via the Fatah-led Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) in the late 1960s. From the 1970s the relationship cooled as the Palestinian leadership moved from terrorism to diplomacy. The pursuit of diplomacy led to the Oslo accords, the creation of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and a peace process that subsequently failed. In this period and after several Palestinian entities emerged and pursued contrasting strategies, including Fatah’s continuing pursuit of diplomacy and dialogue, Hamas and violence, and the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS) movement’s efforts to persuade civil society and governments. However, in all three instances, Palestinian efforts failed to generate significant results from China, which itself was motivated by its own relationship with Israel and the wider region.

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