Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer waiting for an invitation to the White House and plans instead to visit China next month, according to journalist Shalom Yerushalmi, reporting in Zman Israel. Advanced contacts are currently taking place between the office of the Prime Minister and the office of President Xi Jinping.
Yerushalmi cites senior Israeli political officials who told him that the extraordinary visit is intended to signal to Washington that Netanyahu has additional policy options, following President Joe Biden’s declaring him persona non grata in the White House.
“Netanyahu will not stand and wait for an invitation to visit the White House that never comes,” the source said, adding, “He works through parallel channels. China has been very involved in what’s happening in the Middle East lately, and the prime minister should be there and represent the Israeli interest.”
China has enormous economic investments in Israel. According to a December 2022 report on foreign investments issued by the Chief Economist at Israel’s Finance Ministry, China and Hong Kong are in third place in terms of the volume of incoming investments into Israel. In 2020, the total value of those transactions reached an estimated $26.5 billion. Among other prominent Chinese holdings in Israel is the Tnuva food production and marketing corporation which is among the top three or four vendors in the market, and the Haifa harbor, the largest free port in the Mediterranean basin, which is frequented by the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet.
China’s involvement in Israel has become so vast that the Biden administration is worried about protecting critical technology being developed by Israel and the US from the Chinese. The US sees China as the biggest geostrategic challenge it faces and wishes to restrict just how far Jerusalem can go in collaborating with Beijing.
Yerushalmi speculates that since last March, China mediated between Iran and Saudi Arabia to renew their diplomatic after a decade of hostilities between them, Netanyahu will try to promote Israel’s relations with Saudi Arabia through China’s influence, which would make Washington very unhappy.
Last week, Xi Jinping hosted PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Beijing and presented a new Chinese plan for settling the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
Netanyahu last visited Beijing in 2017, to mark the 25th anniversary of Israeli-Chinese diplomatic relations. He brought with him a large delegation of Israeli business people eager to do business with China. There’s no reason to think Israel’s hurting hi-tech executives won’t see the visit as an opportunity to infuse their industry with some yuans.
On Tuesday, the value of 1 yuan is half a shekel (exactly the amount every Jew must pay for the upkeep of the holy Temple).
9 comments:
This is a horrible move on Bibi's part, a terrible strategic decision and a slap in the face to the Jewish people.
It's a terrible strategic decision because China, unlike the US, is not an ally of Israel. China will do business with anyone and in a way that leaves the customer terribly in debt to them and therefore forced to do their bidding. The same China willing to build a new port in Haifa is the same China that will sell Iran everything it needs to attack Israel. China is not ally.
It's a slap in the face because here's a country that puts people in concentration camps or executes them to sell their organs if it doesn't like their religion. It runs a surveillance state where religious expression, including Judaism, is stamped out. Does any of this sound familiar? If the leader of a prosperous Western state went to visit Germany in 1938 with the intent of showing that it wanted more friends than the US, wouldn't we as Jews be horrified? And yet here's Bibi doing pretty much that right now.
Will he ask China to stop arming our enemies? Will he ask them to allow open Jewish worship? Or will he show no shame at all?
Garnel
Bibi is actually doing a brilliant move.
The USA is going to remove most sanctions from Iran in the coming weeks leaving Israel twisting in the wind. Don't forget that the USA besides falling over itself to have relations with Iran has helped Israels enemies granting the Palestinians aid that directly helps the families of terrorists violating the Taylor act. The USA does what's good for them willing to sell Taiwan down the river which is something that should concern Israel, and now rejoined UNESCO a vicious antisemitic arm of the UN a hot bed of antisemitism. In addition the US just announced that they will defund scientific research for the Israeli University Ariel, which is supported by the BDS anti-Israel movement. Israel has no choice but to move closer to China, we should not be concerned about China's meeting with Abbas as the Palestinians are no use to them economically. This is a signal to the USA that Israel has other options! Brilliant move on Bibi's part!
Garnel Ironheart
Not only should Israel move closer to China, but should also move closer to Putin, Yes, Putin. Israel and Russia already have communications as they bomb Syria at will with Putin closing an eye. Ukraine has voted against Israel 99% of the time in the UN, and Irael has nothing but headaches from the Ukrainian Nazis. Putin will eventually win in Ukraine, and Israel should bet on the winner. I'll bet Biden and his antisemitic State Department will take note and quickly invite Bibi to stop all that but Bibi must go thru with becoming friendlier with both China and Russia. This is a chess game, Israel can no longer trust the US as it is moving rapidly to the left. Both Russian and China are no "tzadikim" but they are major players in the world, and Israel should make sure that it has open and friendly communications with them.
Now is the time to get everything done in Israel, Judicial overhaul, annexing all that was conquered in all the wars, enlarging all the settlements, etc.
When bombing with precision bombs and Palestinian children are in the way, Israel must protect their citizens and personnel, in wars, there are innocent ones that get hurt also. These are not innocent ones.
You guys make very good points but I still disagree, for 2 reasons
1) Israel likes to boast about how important it is. Look at our economy! Look at the strength of our military! China don't care. For China, Israel is a minor client given its size. Compared to the money China can make with our enemies, Israel is a small customer to be used and abused when no longer needed.
2) You're judged by the friends you keep. A closer alliance with China and Russia, both of whom will sell Israel out to Iran without blinking, makes Israel look really, really bad.
I was with Garnel's point of view until a couple of minutes ago when I read a hit piece in The Times of Israel, a leftist news site. The editorial warns Bibi that this China visit is a bad idea. When I see the left against it I know that this must be actually a great idea.
BTW the Chinese invited Bibi a month ago and Netanyahu had told this to Blinken. When Netanyahu saw that the Chinese invited Abbas, Bibi had no choice but expedite this visit, both, to present Israel's side and of course to send a message to Biden. Let's watch how this plays out. I think that the other Universities in Irael should get together and tell Biden if you boycott one of us we will band together as one and not share any info, believe me that in this respect the US needs Israel a lot more than the other way around!
It's also interesting that the US said not a word to Abbas when he visited China, but is upset that Bibi visits, if the US feels that Abbas is a partner in peace I don't see how they looked away at Abbas. Unless Biden and his State Department know that they can push the Jew around!
China and Russia will sell Israel out in a puff....
Update- USA sold them out faster than that.
Israel will hold back on some security info to the USA; then they'll come crawling to Israel.
Be aware that the entire State Department was always against Israel.
As long as the USA & the EU, etc fund UNWRA and the other terrorist Organizations, the Palestinian children,press, targeted elimination, etc. are all part of war casualties.
All you guys miss the real point.Why in heavens name should the PM visit a demented Alzheimer diseased old hair sniffing pervert, who literally has no idea where he is or what he is.
This filthy treasonous old fool taking up space inthe White House,has become the laughing stock of the whole world.
America is not run by Biden, but by the filthy Marxist leftist America hating swines he. Surrounded himself with.
Bibi should ignore the old fool, and wait till America gets anew President
Different reasons.
TOI is worried that Bibi's prestige will be enhanced by a state visit to China. They want him cowering in fear in Israel from the protestors.
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