A heated exchange unfolded at the Xiangshan Forum in Beijing when a senior Chinese academic accused Israel of killing over 70,000 civilians in Gaza.
Prof. Yan Xuetong, an international relations expert from Tsinghua University, challenged IDF attaché, Col. Elad Shoshan, saying, “Go to the UN, agree to a two-state solution to establish a Palestinian state. If you can’t reach an agreement with the Palestinians, you’ll never defeat terror.”
The argument between Prof. Yan Xuetong and Col. Elad Shoshan
(Video: from social media)
Yan argued that Israel’s alleged attacks on women and children undermine its legitimacy, saying, “The international community, not you or your government, determines these facts.” Shoshan responded, “We try to avoid civilian casualties; the war won’t stop until terror groups release all hostages.”
Yan countered, “No one believes Israeli propaganda except some Israelis,” likening the situation to robbers using bank staff as human shields, questioning, “Would you shoot the clients and staff to free hostages? Of course not.”
The confrontation, witnessed by dozens of Chinese journalists, left Shoshan visibly uncomfortable and struggling to respond. Last month, Foreign Ministry officials warned, “Our global public diplomacy has never been this bad.”
They criticized the lack of pushback against international media outlets like BBC, The Times and CNN, noting, “Everyone’s against us and we’re not threatening lawsuits or appealing to regulators—this is unprecedented in Israeli advocacy.”
The exchange comes amid growing international pressure. On Friday, the UN General Assembly approved a French-Saudi resolution supporting a two-state solution, with 142 countries in favor, 10 opposed and 12 abstaining.
Dubbed the “New York Declaration,” it outlines an “irreversible” path to a Palestinian state, following a July conference in New York. Additionally, the UK is reportedly planning to recognize a Palestinian state by the weekend, further isolating Israel diplomatically as global criticism of its Gaza operations intensifies.