An Israeli Embassy Employee in Beijing Attacked

The Israeli Foreign Ministry announced that an employee of the Israeli embassy in Beijing was attacked on Friday and hospitalized. China did not immediately confirm the occurrence of this attack. According to the Associated Press, it is unclear what caused this incident, although it occurred after Israel criticized China's statement following the unprecedented and deadly attack by the Hamas militant group on southern Israel last Saturday. The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that the attack did not take place within the embassy grounds. The identity of the employee has not been disclosed, and no one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. The statement mentioned without further details: 'The employee [of the Israeli embassy in Beijing] was transferred to the hospital and is in stable condition.' The statement added that Israeli officials are still trying to assess the 'background' of what happened. Just before this news was announced, the Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that Rafi Harpaz, the Israeli ambassador to China, spoke with Zhai Jun, China's representative for Middle Eastern affairs, on Thursday to express the country's 'deep disappointment' with China's remarks following the Hamas attack. The Israeli Foreign Ministry's statement noted that in China's remarks, 'the horrific massacre by the terrorist organization Hamas against innocent [Israeli] civilians and the abduction of dozens of them to Gaza was not condemned in any clear and explicit manner. There is no mention in China's statements that Israel has the right to defend itself and its citizens.' The statement further noted that defending oneself is 'a fundamental right of any independent country that has been attacked in an unprecedented and violent manner, something that has no place in human society.' In a previous statement from China regarding the phone conversation, it was mentioned that Beijing condemns actions that harm innocent civilians and is 'deeply concerned about the escalation of tensions and violence... and is saddened by the civilian casualties resulting from the conflict.' Wang Wenbin, the spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, reiterated in response to a question from the Associated Press regarding Israel's statement that China opposes actions that harm citizens and violate international law. He stated, 'China will continue its efforts tirelessly to reduce tensions and resume peace negotiations.' In Beijing, in addition to uniformed police officers, about five or six plainclothes police were stationed outside the Israeli embassy. Two kilometers away, at the Palestinian embassy in Beijing, plainclothes officers were also present. Since the start of the war, anti-Semitic statements on Chinese social media have increased. The Israeli embassy in Beijing, which has been bombarded with hostile messages, filters comments on its Chinese social media account.