China plans to invite Palestine, Israel for talks, Saudi media says

The Chinese government plans to invite Israelis and Palestinians to hold talks in China, Al-Arabiya TV channel cited today Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as saying in an interview.

Reuters reported Wang, who started this week a Middle East tour, also voiced support for a Saudi initiative announced on Monday to end the war in Yemen, according to the Saudi-owned, Dubai-based channel

The new proposal includes a nationwide ceasefire and the reopening of air and sea links, but the Houthis said the offer did not appear to go far enough to lift a blockade.

The United States welcomed the commitment of Saudi Arabia and Yemen’ internationally-recognised government to a ceasefire and negotiations, deputy State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter said.

The conflict, widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has been stalemated for years and has left 80 per cent of Yemen’s population reliant on aid. The Houthis say they are fighting a corrupt system and foreign aggression.

READ: Palestinians in Saudi call on Abbas to save them from ‘slow death’