The world is no longer divided into a secure West and a passive rest. America’s unipolar dominance is fading, and China has stepped forward with new confidence. For Israel, this shift is both a risk and an opportunity: how we respond to China’s rise may shape the future of our security and our peace.
China’s Ambition Meets Israel’s Reality
For decades, U.S. leadership defined the parameters of Middle Eastern diplomacy. Today, Beijing is signaling its intent to play a direct role. Chinese officials have called for “peaceful coexistence between the Jewish and Arab people” and shown willingness to participate in Gaza reconstruction.
Henry Kissinger’s last message to the world was clear: “Global peace and stability depend on cooperation between the U.S. and China.” In the Middle East, that means Gaza. Washington and Beijing must create a joint task force to rebuild the Strip, neutralize Hamas, and stabilize the Western Negev.
Beijing’s Show of Force
This week’s military parade in Beijing dramatized the stakes. President Xi Jinping stood shoulder to shoulder with Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, presenting a tableau of strategic defiance. Hypersonic missiles, nuclear-capable rockets, and stealth aircraft rolled through Tiananmen Square.
The Guardian called it China “flexing its muscle in the tussle for global dominance,” while Reuters described Xi as “rolling out the carpet for Ukraine war aggressors”. The optics were unmistakable: China is not merely a trading giant—it is a global power prepared to contest the West.
For Israel, the image of Xi, Putin, and Kim together is not just distant geopolitics. It is a warning. If China chooses confrontation rather than cooperation, Iran will find shelter in Beijing’s shadow, and regional tensions will harden into permanent fractures.
Turning Anxiety Into Strategy
The instinctive reaction in Jerusalem and Washington is suspicion. How can Israel work with a China aligned with Moscow and Pyongyang? The answer is pragmatic: diplomacy is not about purity, it is about possibilities.
A U.S.–China–Israel framework for Gaza would:
- Use Beijing’s leverage over Tehran to curb Iran’s proxy campaigns.
- Channel Chinese and American capital into Gaza’s redevelopment—industry from corporations, infrastructure from governments.
- Replace despair with prosperity for Palestinians, undercutting extremism at its root.
This is not charity. It is strategy. Poverty and hopelessness fuel terrorism. Investment and opportunity weaken it.
A Multipolar Middle East
We are entering a multipolar era. This is not about Israel abandoning the United States. On the contrary: only by anchoring ourselves firmly in Washington can we afford to engage Beijing. Balance is the key—engagement without illusion, cooperation without dependence.
Kissinger’s dictum, Xi’s ambitions, and America’s strategic fatigue all converge in Gaza. The Strip is not only Israel’s most urgent security challenge; it is a testing ground for whether great-power competition can give way to great-power cooperation.
The Day After Hamas
In my book, Liberating Gaza, I argue that “the day after Hamas is not a void—it is an opening.” An international task force must assume control of Gaza, de-Hamasify the Strip, and prepare it for a demilitarized, economically viable future. The United States cannot do this alone. China must be part of the solution.
As the Zohar teaches, “without wood, the fire goes out.” Without bold new partnerships, the fires of Gaza and Ukraine will keep burning.
A Call to Action
Israel must show vision. We cannot afford to remain frozen in old paradigms, nor can we risk naïveté about China’s intentions. The task is to build a balance: safeguard our alliance with America while opening channels with Beijing where interests align.
The images from Beijing—Xi with Putin and Kim—are sobering. They should also be motivating. If we leave China to its own axis, we will face an adversarial bloc. If we engage it wisely, we may help transform confrontation into cooperation.
Israel can and must play this role. As a small nation with outsize strategic importance, we are positioned to act as a bridge. The choice is ours: drift into irrelevance or seize the moment to shape the future.
