Israeli Embassy Worker Stabbed in China; Suspect Now in Custody

It was unclear whether it had anything to do with Israel's conflict with Hamas.

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A general view showing the site where an employee of the Israeli embassy was attacked in Beijing on October 13, 2023. MICHAEL ZHANG / AFP via Getty Images

Israeli foreign ministry said that an embassy employee in Beijing was beaten on Friday, October 13, and taken to the hospital, where he remains in stable condition. According to Chinese authorities, a suspect has been detained.

Reports indicate that the 50-year-old victim was an Israeli diplomat's relative. The police in Beijing said they had detained a suspect, a foreign guy aged 53. There was no clear explanation for the assault.

As Muslims throughout the globe gathered in the streets to condemn Israel's aggressive bombing campaign in Gaza in the wake of Hamas's tragic and unprecedented assault into southern Israel last weekend, the stabbing took place.

Blood stains could be seen on the street as a guy with a knife wrestled with another man on the ground and stabbed him many times in a video that went viral online, as reported by Reuters. Employees at nearby establishments reported hearing the victim screaming as police and an ambulance responded.

Israel's Take On China's Comments About Hamas' Attacks

Also on Friday, Israel issued a strongly worded condemnation of China's remarks over the first Hamas strike. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Ambassador Rafi Harpaz had conveyed "deep disappointment" from Israel to China's Middle East ambassador, Zhai Jun. AP News said the two diplomats exchanged phone calls on Thursday night, October 14.

According to the Israeli statement, there was no strong condemnation of the awful atrocity perpetrated by Hamas against innocent people and the kidnapping of dozens of them to Gaza. "The Chinese announcements do not contain any element of Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens, a fundamental right of any sovereign country that was attacked in an unprecedented manner and with cruelty that has no place in human society," the statement adds.

Wang Wenbin, a spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry, responded to questions about the Israeli statement by saying that Beijing is opposed to any action that endangers people or violates international law. "China will continue to work unremittingly for de-escalation of the situation and the resumption of peace talks," he stated.

During a press conference with the EU's foreign policy leader, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China's Mideast ambassador will soon go to the area to work for a ceasefire and de-escalation.

The Palestinians' push for a sovereign state has China's backing. The inability to create a Palestinian state, according to Wang, is the core cause of the war. "Israel has the right to establish a state, and so does Palestine," he added.

Since the conflict began, there has been a dramatic increase in antisemitic comments on Chinese social media. The Israeli Embassy in Beijing is censoring comments on its Chinese social media account due to an onslaught of negative feedback.

Tags
China, Israel, Muslim, Hamas, Palestine, Palestinian, Beijing
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