China was among the last of the major powers to respond to the large-scale surprise attack by Hamas on Saturday that triggered an all-out war with Israel. And when the Foreign Ministry did issue a statement on Sunday, it was promptly derided by the Israeli embassy in Beijing as being wholly inadequate.

The Deputy Ambassador, Yuval Waks, blasted the Chinese government for not taking a stronger stand against the Palestinian militant group for the killing and kidnapping of civilians. The Ministry’s six-line response to the conflict expressed “concern” about the violence but did not condemn the initial attack that led to the death of at least 260 non-combatants. Instead, the Chinese government re-stated its longstanding position about the need for a two-state solution to resolve the decades-long battle between Israelis and Palestinians: