The Israeli embassy in Beijing has accused China’s state broadcaster of “blatant anti-Semitism” in a report on US policy during the ongoing deadly violence in the Palestinian Territories and Israel.
A presenter on CGTN, the English-language arm of Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, on Tuesday mentioned several elements of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories while discussing the US government’s support for Israel.
The presenter said “powerful lobbies” of Jews in the United States were responsible for shaping Washington’s position on the Middle East crisis and that “Jews dominate (US) finance, media and internet sectors”.
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These tropes are frequently deployed by anti-Semitic entities to vilify Jewish people.
The Israeli embassy hit back with a series of tweets, saying that it was “appalled to see blatant anti-Semitism expressed in an official Chinese media outlet”.
“The claims expressed in the video are racist and dangerous, and should be avoided by any media outlet that respects itself,” the embassy said.
The CGTN report came during the worst violence between Israelis and Palestinians in years.
2/5 The claims expressed in the video are racist and dangerous, and should be avoided by any media outlet that respects itself. Claiming that the Jews as a people have control over other governments is outrageous, particularly as yet again, similarly to the darkest times in
— 以色列在中国 (@IsraelinChina) May 18, 2021
More than 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes since May 10. Rockets fired from the Gaza Strip have killed 12 people in Israel.
China has criticised the United States for blocking a joint statement on the crisis at the UN Security Council and called for the two-state solution to be implemented.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi has also called for an immediate ceasefire on both sides and for Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza as soon as possible.
He also offered to host Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in China for direct peace talks.
The escalating conflict has been a divisive topic on Chinese social media, where there is a large amount of Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian sentiment as well as sympathy for Palestinians.
AFP with additional input by GVS News Desk