The horrific Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7 has been called the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. The United States has stood firm in its support of Israel’s right to defend itself against the terrorist organization, while China has accused Israel of a “disproportional response” in fighting back at Hamas. Those very different stances toward Israel reflect a stark divide between the camps of freedom and authoritarianism in the world today.
The Hamas attack killed at least 1,400 Israelis. Eylon Levy, a former spokesperson for Israeli President Isaac Herzog, said, “It’s no exaggeration to say yesterday was the darkest day in Jewish history since the end of the Holocaust.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Oct. 7 “the most horrible day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust." Lazar Berman, The Times of Israel’s diplomatic correspondent, made the same reference, saying, “October 7, 2023 saw the most Jews slaughtered in a single day since the Holocaust.”
The United States quickly came to Israel’s defense. Speaking on Oct. 10, President Joe Biden called the attack “sheer evil” and said, “Let there be no doubt: The United States has Israel’s back.”
On Oct. 20, President Biden delivered a national address saying: “We’re going to make sure Iron Dome continues to guard the skies over Israel. We’re going to make sure other hostile actors in the region know that Israel is stronger than ever and prevent this conflict from spreading.”
Following the Hamas attack on Israel, the United States sent warships and aircraft to the Middle East. The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group have arrived in the eastern Mediterranean, and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group is also on its way there. In addition, dozens of aircraft have been dispatched to U.S. military bases throughout the Middle East, and U.S. special forces are cooperating with the Israeli military in intelligence sharing and gathering.
The CCP Condemns Israel
In sharp contrast to the United States, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemned Israel for going “beyond self-defense” and called for an end to the “collective punishment” of the people of Gaza. The Chinese regime had never condemned Hamas for the massacre of over 1,400 Israelis and the kidnapping of over 200 others, mostly civilians.
In line with China’s official stance, a large number of pro-Hamas and antisemitic comments have appeared on China’s heavily censored social media. One example was a comment by Chinese ultranationalist blogger Ziwu Xiashi, who wrote, “In the past, Germany persecuted you. Now, you persecute Palestinians. In this world, do not force others to the corner because you would only be digging your own grave.” The popular blogger has a million followers on Weibo.
Blogger Zhang Tiegen attributed what happened to the Jewish people to a love of money, a classic antisemitic talking point. This comment followed the trend of online rhetoric in China. Even the Oscar-winning film Schindler’s List, which depicts the Holocaust, was maliciously given a low score on Chinese movie review websites.
Democracy Versus Authoritarianism
The stances taken by the United States and China toward the Hamas terror attack are in stark contrast, as are their attitudes toward the Russia–Ukraine war.After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last February, the United States provided more than $75 billion in aid to Ukraine and imposed economic sanctions on Russia.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), on the other hand, has provided Russia with financial support and is one of the major importers of Russian oil, thus aiding its invasion of Ukraine. Imports of Russian crude by China after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine almost doubled, according to a June article from Voice of America.
President Joe Biden recently said, “Hamas and Putin represent different threats, but they share this in common: They both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy—completely annihilate it.”
China’s Staunch Support for Iran
On Oct. 25, after U.S. troops in the Middle East were attacked on numerous occasions by Iranian-backed militants—most likely in retaliation for U.S. support of Israel—President Biden said that the United States reserves the right to self-defense and will not rule out retaliation. On Oct. 31, the Pentagon placed the number of attacks at 27.“My warning to the ayatollah was that if they continue to move against those troops, we will respond, and he should be prepared,” President Biden told Iran’s supreme leader.
Iranian-backed terrorist groups include Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah.
An Israeli businessman who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Epoch Times: “Iran is using different terrorist organizations or militant groups to destabilize the Middle East, and I'll give you a few examples: Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Iranian militant groups in Syria and Iraq. They all have the same objective, which is to expand Iran’s influence and destabilize the Middle East to undermine the normalization of relations between Israel and moderate Arab states.”
Hamas has long received financial and logistical support from Tehran. Days after the Hamas attack, it was even suggested that Iranian security officials helped plan the surprise assault. “Iranian security officials helped plan” the surprise attack, according to a Wall Street Journal article, and Iran “gave the green light for the assault at a meeting in Beirut.” The Journal article cited “senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah,” as well as an adviser to Syria, as its sources.
A Hamas official denied the allegation, however, as did a spokesman for Iran’s mission to the United Nations, saying “We are not involved in Palestine’s response, as it is taken solely by Palestine itself.”
For years, the United States and other Western countries have imposed trade and economic sanctions on Iran for its development of nuclear weapons. Since 2018, Iran has not had access to the SWIFT financial message service, cutting it off from global banks.
The Chinese regime has done the opposite. As of this year, China is Iran’s top trading partner—its tenth consecutive year in this role. In 2022, Iran’s trade with China amounted to nearly $16 billion, a 7 percent increase from 2021. In December 2022, China’s crude oil imports from Iran reportedly hit a new record.
In February 2023, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited Beijing. The two countries signed 20 agreements—potentially worth billions of dollars—in the areas of trade, transportation, information technology, tourism, agriculture, and crisis response.
Syria and Israel in Conflict
Syria also views Israel as an enemy. Just days after Hamas attacked Israel, Syria and Israel exchanged fire. On the night of Oct. 24, Syria fired two rockets into northern Israel, setting off alarms in the Golan Heights, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The IDF responded by attacking the Syrian army’s military infrastructure and mortar sites.Syria and Israel have been in conflict for more than half a century. The conflict between the two countries has been exacerbated by the fact that since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Iran has taken advantage of the chaos in Syria to set up extremist organizations to train militants in the country. Syria is Iran’s strategic lifeline as it provides a land corridor from Iraq to Lebanon.
In March, a self-detonating drone attacked a U.S. military base in northeastern Syria. Hundreds of U.S. troops were stationed there on a counter-terrorism mission that began years ago. The attack killed one contractor and injured five U.S. service members and another contractor. U.S. officials allege that the attack was carried out by Iranian-backed militias.
In 1979, the United States placed Syria on the list of state sponsors of terrorism due to its military occupation of Lebanon and its state support for Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations.
Starting in 2011, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland imposed a series of economic sanctions on Syria due to the country’s oppression of civilians during the Syrian civil war.
However, in September of this year, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad—regarded by many as a war criminal—visited China and was given a state reception with a red carpet, a red-flagged sedan, and military honor guards. The reception was comparable to that given to the President of France.
True Friends
In recent years, relations between Israel and China appeared to warm. Israeli presidents and prime ministers made diplomatic and trade visits to Beijing. Trade volume between the nations increased substantially, and the countries developed military ties, as Israel provided China with military expertise and technology.The article quoted Len Khodorkovsky, deputy assistant secretary of state in the Trump administration: “Israel tried to have it both ways: reap the benefits of its friendships with the U.S. and the West while flirting with Russia and China.”
Khodorkovsky continued, “But when you’re down, you find out who your true friends are. Democracies are standing by Israel’s side. Autocracies are supporting Israel’s enemies,” Khodorkovsky said.
Iran and Syria are enemies of Israel but close allies of China. In the words of Anders Corr, publisher of the Journal of Political Risk and Epoch Times contributor, “Israel should realize that China is not a true friend.”
