THE eruption of violence in Israel, as perpetrated by the attacks of Hamas, followed by Islamic Jihad at 6.30am and 9.30am on Oct 7, respectively, is nothing short of a bold breakthrough into the defence of Israel.
Yet, knowing how Israel seeks to enhance its deterrence that has been compromised, its retaliation against any hostile, potentially, even civilian targets are bound to be disproportionate rather than discriminatory.
As this is written a mere 48 hours after Hamas and Islamic Jihad's incursion in the southern part of Israel, the New York Times has reported that some 800 targets in Gaza have been bombed.
Coincidentally, one of them was a hospital built by Indonesian donation while the other was strictly a Malaysian mosque that was bequeathed to the residents of Gaza.
At 2.03 million people squeezed into one of the most populated areas in the world, where the health and education facilities have long broken down, life in Gaza is potentially "short, brutish and violent," to quote the English classical philosopher, Thomas Hobbes.
Yet, it was not too long ago that the recognition of Saudi Arabia and Iran — after the two embassies had been in hiatus for close to eight years — was brokered by China in May 2023.
To which the then foreign minister, Qin Gang, before he was replaced by Foreign Minister Wang Yi in September 2023, affirmed the willingness of China to broker the Palestinian and Israel rapprochement too.
While the US State Department issued a statement that such a gesture was in line with the expectations of the US. That China can become a "responsible stakeholder".
There was no telling if either one of them were expecting the delicate affairs in the Middle East to blow up.
What is telling, however, is that China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) was probably taking the lead of its own Chinese President Xi Jinping in December 2022 when he attended the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh.
Thus, it makes sense for the Chinese MOFA to be more involved. China's purchase of the Iranian oil and gas alone have ballooned to US$444 billion by 2020.
Meanwhile, China's two-way trade with the United Arab Emirates had crossed US$320 billion a year; while that of the US stood at US$78 billion as of the end of 2022.
As things are, China has released a statement urging all sides to exercise restraint in Israel and Gaza.
Indeed, to respect the two states solution as provided by the United Nations (UN). Such advice has been given by the likes of Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim too to all sides.
But, there is no certainty that given the gravity of the situation in Israel, where the violation of its public order and security, have been nothing but serious, would the likes of Tel Aviv pay heed to the issue.
As things are, China has not been embroiled into the internecine conflict of the Middle East. If it had, it would be one of those permanent members in the United Nations Security Council where its diplomatic patience would constantly be tested to the limit.
As the death toll of the insurgents and Israeli Defense Forces and civilians on both sides will undoubtedly continue to spike, the best one can do is to hope that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) would have the foresight to increase its humanitarian aid to Gaza; in what appears to be another massive yet looming fiasco.
The writer is Senior Adviser, Bluebridge Education Group, University of Cambridge
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times
