Enlarge image
Israeli Embassy in Beijing
Photo: Michael Zhang / AFP
An employee of the Israeli embassy in Beijing has been the victim of an act of violence. The man was attacked with a knife and suffered serious injuries. He was hospitalized and is in stable condition, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry. The attack did not take place on the premises of the embassy, it said. Israeli officials were still trying to determine the circumstances of the incident.
A video circulated on social media purportedly shows the attack, with an attacker stabbing the unarmed victim several times with a knife. The alleged perpetrator was a 53-year-old foreign worker who worked in a small goods store in Beijing, local police said. Investigations have been launched. Other unconfirmed videos shared on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) showed a bloodied man lying on the sidewalk next to a car.
The U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, tweeted on X: "We are shocked by today's attack on an Israeli diplomat in Beijing," and said the embassy had offered its full support to the Israeli embassy and the Israeli community in China.
Israel Disappointed by China's Comments on Hamas Attack
Shortly before announcing the attack, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said Ambassador Rafi Harpaz had spoken with China's envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun. Harpaz wanted to express his country's "deep disappointment" with China's comments after the Hamas attack on Israel.
There is "no clear and unequivocal condemnation of the horrific massacre of innocent civilians by the terrorist organization Hamas and the abduction of dozens of them to Gaza," the statement said. The Chinese pronouncements contain no reference to Israel's right to defend itself and its citizens."
An earlier Chinese statement on the phone call said Beijing condemned acts that harm innocent civilians and was "deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions and violence" and "saddened by the civilian casualties caused by the conflict."
Since the outbreak of the war, anti-Semitic remarks have increased on Chinese social media. The Israeli embassy in Beijing, which is bombarded with hostile messages, filters the comments on social media.
While the United States remains Israel's most important ally, China has been trying in recent months to reach out to the ultra-nationalist and ultra-Orthodox government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu's controversial judicial reform had strained relations with the United States.
col/AP/Reuters