China urges US to uphold ‘fairness’ on Palestine after move to impose sanctions

ISTANBUL

China on Friday expressed “shock” and “disappointment” over the US move to sanction the Palestinian Authority (PA) as well as Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

“We feel disappointed at and can’t understand the US move,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.

The question of Palestine “is at the heart of the Middle East issue,” Guo said, describing the Palestinian struggle as “a matter of international fairness and justice.”

Guo urged the US to move towards taking “responsibility” to implement UN resolutions on Palestine.

The US accused the Palestinian Authority and PLO of “failing to comply with their commitments and undermining peace prospects in the Middle East.”

However, Guo said the Palestinian issue is at “crucial and historic juncture.”

“China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their national rights (and) the PA’s effective jurisdiction overall of Palestine’s territory, including the Gaza Strip and the West Bank,” Guo said, urging the US to “not do the reverse.”

He said a “comprehensive, just, and lasting solution” lies in a two-state solution to the conflict.

The Trump administration’s move came at a time when Israel's genocidal campaign has massacred more than 60,000 people in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023.

Washington's move triggered criticism by the Palestinian Authority, with one senior official denouncing the US sanctions, calling them “blatant support for Israel’s occupation” and its ongoing war on Gaza.

Wassel Abu Yousef, a member of the PLO's Executive Committee, told Anadolu that the sanctions come “as the US partners in Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.”