2023 Gaza conflict

As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has spiraled into a renewed and devastating phase, Beijing’s early assertive role appears to have diminished.

Iran experiences diplomatic distancing with Chinese characteristics.

Ambassadors from Japan's G-7 partners skipped the event, decrying a perceived snub of Israel.

A trio of new special envoys, to combat antisemitism, Islamophobia, and promote social cohesion, underscore Canberra’s concerns. 

China is one of the few geopolitically prominent countries that has managed to maintain good relations with Israel, Palestine, and the wider Muslim world. 

Official relations and public perceptions have both taken huge damage since the October 7 attack by Hamas and Israel’s massive military deployment in Gaza.

The Gaza war has opened an unprecedented chapter in the bitter Shia-Sunni sectarian struggle. 

As the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, why were Pacific Island states overrepresented in opposition, abstention, and absence?

Beijing is contrasting its approach with Washington's in a bid to win favor from the Gulf states – while still treading cautiously.

Central Asian Islamists lack the capability to translate rhetoric into operational attacks, but they are capitalizing on the resumption of conflict in the Middle East to enhance recruitment and financing efforts.

Platforms for the Global South, like BRICS, have stepped up their rhetoric. But don’t overestimate what they can – and are willing to – do. 

As war returns to the Middle East, what are the implications for the relationship between Saudi Arabia and China?

Taiwan must stand up for Palestine, otherwise it may face the same fate as Gaza – and a potentially silent international community.

In Japan, protests calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza are at odds with the government’s stance in the Israeli-Hamas war. 

The Global North’s foreign policy has a glaring contradiction regarding China’s abuses in Xinjiang and Israel’s in Palestine.

In talks with South Korea’s leadership, including President Yoon Suk-yeol, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed North Korea as well as the Israel-Gaza and Russia-Ukraine wars.

Malaysia is a clear supporter of the Palestinian cause and is unlikely to bend over backwards for Western powers.

Coordination on evacuations of their citizens from the Middle East is a seemingly small but symbolically significant step for Tokyo and Seoul.

From Delhi in 1857 to Gaza in 2023, the colonial playbook remains largely unchanged.

While it remains to be seen how the Israel-Hamas war unfolds, it has already shown the nature of the Sino-Israeli relationship and where China’s interests lie.

India this time around has taken a much stronger pro-Israel stand than is typical during Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.

Solidarity with and concerns about Palestine are not a new development among Uzbeks, but there have been a variety of responses to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

“So, there's the pain of the suffering in Palestine – our homeland – but then there's the feeling of abandonment. It’s an otherness. It’s like we don’t belong in Australia, we don't belong on Earth almost.”

Like the rest of the world, most Asia-Pacific states supported the resolution, making the exceptions especially interesting.