China is working hard to build a presence in the Middle East by trying to broker one of the most challenging relationships to achieve: a single, unified Palestinian government. To that end, a recent gathering in the capital city resulted in a signed joint declaration that the participants would work to achieve a unity government. Mind you, many of the signers were once sworn enemies of each other.
China Replacing US in Middle East
As the influence of the US seemingly wanes in the Middle East, it remains to be seen whether the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will be the replacement. Nonetheless, China is losing no opportunity to insert itself in the myriad crises that have defined the Gulf region. The Israeli-Hamas conflict rages while unrest and hostilities abound in Israel’s West Bank, and war between Israel and Hezbollah in the North of Israel seems imminent. So, the PRC seized the chance to jump into the middle of the fray, inviting several Palestinian groups to Beijing to iron out an agreement and a way forward to establish a Palestinian state government. As Foreign Policy explained:
“More than a dozen Palestinian factions, including bitter rivals Fatah and Hamas, signed a joint declaration in Beijing on Tuesday vowing to form an interim unity government, although experts are skeptical that the diplomatic push brokered by China will succeed in bridging long-standing animosity between the groups . . . Chinese state media was quick to portray the declaration as a major breakthrough.”
Several real-world factors cast a pall over the ebullience the agreement has generated in China. If the Israeli defense is successful, there will be no Hamas to participate in anything. Second, as the Associated Press and others have pointed out, “Previous similar declarations have failed, raising doubts about whether the China-sponsored negotiations might lead to reconciliation between Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip for 17 years, and Fatah, the main force in the U.S.-backed Palestinian Authority that administers parts of the occupied West Bank.” Particularly bad for any lasting benefit from the recent “Beijing Declaration,” as the Palestinian group agreement is called, is that “Israel and the United States rejected the pact. The US and other Western countries have refused to accept any Palestinian government that includes Hamas unless it expressly recognizes Israel,” AP report said.
Recognizing Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation is the speedbump that has derailed previous attempts to include Hamas in any Palestinian state initiative. The Beijing Declaration is no exception. As Liberty Nation News reported recently, “The post-fighting demands of Hamas reveal the terrorist organization’s total misunderstanding of its plight . . . If anyone has been listening to Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, they would know that Israel has no intention of leaving any remnant of Hamas to govern anything.” Putting the shaky notion that the new China-brokered Palestinian pact has any legs, the CCP’s efforts to ingratiate itself in these deliberations is a more troubling prospect.
The PRC’s increasing presence in the Middle East, putting on the mantle of “peacemaker,” should be a cause for concern within the Biden administration. China’s messaging is being heard. Beijing is finding a receptive audience for its “arbitrator for sale” negotiating service. It wants the third world, its primary cheering section, to believe the CCP is an arbiter for worldwide peace. The level of manipulation is breathtaking, but it works – until it's brought into the world of global threats. The oppression and genocide of Uyghurs, the persistent hostilities against Philippine Coast Guard operations to resupply its outer islands, and steady aggression against Taiwan tend to belie the peacemaker patina.
US Failures in Middle East Prompt Loss of Confidence
Worse, America’s failure to stop the Iran-supplied Houthi terrorist rebels in Yemen from a daily barrage of anti-ship missiles and drones against merchant vessels in the Red Sea has resulted in a loss of confidence in the United State's capability to stop Iranian proxies in the Gulf. Additionally, the recent agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia brokered by China, and a much closer relationship between the United Arab Emirates and China’s militaries, should raise red flags at Foggy Bottom and the Pentagon. A prominent Washington, DC, news source revealed that despite what was thought to be a discontinued effort to build a naval facility for the People’s Liberation Army Navy at a port in Abu Dhabi, there is intelligence evidencing the project is alive and well. Work at the port indicates that the Emiratis “are developing close security ties to China at the expense of US interests, according to the documents and related interviews with senior Biden administration officials,” the DC news outlet reported.
The substance of the Beijing Declaration may not withstand the test of time, but it is a warning to the US foreign policy team. China is communicating an intention to the Biden administration, and it is unambiguous. The PRC will be an integral and lasting presence in the Middle East. The US, its allies, and Israel better get used to it. Without the US making a strong statement by dealing effectively with Iran and its proxies, China’s intentions will be a reality.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
