Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday that he is “very disappointed” Beijing has not condemned the Hamas attack on Israel in more definitive terms.
“The ongoing events in Israel over the past few days are horrific,” Schumer said at a meeting with Xi. “I urge you and the Chinese people to stand with the Israeli people and condemn these cowardly and vicious attacks.”
The New York Democrat also said that “250 young people gathered at a dance and the Hamas terrorists took machine guns and shot them all dead.”
“I was very disappointed, to be honest, by the Foreign Ministry’s statement that showed no sympathy or support for Israel during these troubled times,” he added.
Schumer’s rare meeting with Xi came during the Senate majority leader’s trip to China with fellow Sens. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Kennedy (R-La.) and Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.).
His comments came in response to a statement made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Sunday after Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel early Saturday. The surprise multi-front attack has resulted in more than 700 Israeli deaths and more than 100 Israeli hostages taken into Gaza, according to reports. Israel has responded with air attacks into Gaza.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry described the attack as an “escalation of tensions and violence between Palestine and Israel” and called on “relevant parties to remain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation.”
“The recurrence of the conflict shows once again that the protracted standstill of the peace process cannot go on. The fundamental way out of the conflict lies in implementing the two-state solution and establishing an independent State of Palestine,” the statement read. “The international community needs to act with greater urgency, step up input into the Palestine question, facilitate the early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel, and find a way to bring about enduring peace. China will continue to work relentlessly with the international community towards that end.”