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Palestinians welcome China’s new Middle East role, but it is not mediation they need
The decline of the Western bloc led by the US and the rise of the global South give Palestinians fresh hope – especially the rapid rise of old ally China – but will their leadership act on it, asks RAMZY BAROUD

IT IS feasible for China to continue playing an important role in mediating Middle East conflicts. In fact, it already has. In the case of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, however, mediation is hardly the issue.
Even before Beijing successfully managed to achieve reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran last April, Chinese diplomacy has shown exceptional maturity.
For many years, China has been perceived to be an outsider to global affairs, supposedly contending itself to economic expansion or to regional economic integration.
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