By Riyaz ul Khaliq
ISTANBUL (AA) - China’s President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday discussed the Palestine-Israeli conflict over the phone, as they emphasized the two-state solution to end the escalating crisis.
The leaders believe that the top priority is “to prevent the Palestinian-Israeli situation from further deterioration, especially emergence of a more grave humanitarian crisis” in the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza, said a statement by China’s Foreign Ministry.
Xi and Macron emphasized that the two-state solution is the key way to resolve the cycle of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the statement added.
It was Xi’s first phone call with any head of a state or government since his trip last week to the US, where he held a summit meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden.
The duo also discussed the Gaza war during a lunch in San Francisco last Wednesday.
Earlier on Monday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted his counterparts from key Muslim nations in Beijing, where he emphasized the need for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
Tel Aviv has rejected growing calls for a cease-fire until the release of hostages held by the Palestinian group Hamas.
Xi and Macron “agreed to continue to maintain communication on international and regional issues of common concern and contribute to maintaining world peace and stability,” the statement said.
Since Israel started bombing Gaza on Oct. 7, at least 13,000 Palestinians have been killed, including over 9,000 women and children, and more than 30,000 others have been injured, according to the latest figures by Palestinian authorities.
Thousands of buildings, including hospitals, mosques, and churches, have also been damaged or destroyed in Israel’s relentless air and ground attacks on the besieged enclave.
An Israeli blockade has also cut Gaza off from fuel, electricity, and water supplies, and reduced aid deliveries to a small trickle.
The Israeli death toll is around 1,200, according to official figures.