China slams PM’s accusation of ‘media blockade,’ says Israel needs ‘political intelligence’

China condemns Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusation that it is helping orchestrate a “political blockade” against Israel,” saying the charge has “no basis in fact.”

Speaking to a large delegation of US officials earlier this week, Netanyahu accused China and Qatar of “organizing an attack on Israel… [through] the social media of the Western world and the United States.”

He later said to the Israeli channel i24, “There is now an attempt to impose a blockade on Israel by various entities and countries, led by Qatar. First of all, a media blockade funded with enormous sums of money, both from Qatar and from other countries such as China.”

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Israel criticizes those remarks.

“China is shocked by the declaration of the Israeli leader regarding China,” the statement says, according to Channel 12. “The remarks have no basis in fact, hurt China-Israel relations, and China strongly opposes them.”

The accusation that China is using social media to attack Israel, it says, “treats the symptom instead of the real issue.”

The statement adds that much of the international community has called for a ceasefire in the Gaza war, and chides Netanyahu’s policy.

“Israel does not need endless war, but diplomacy that brings peace,” it says. “To solve the current crisis, Israel needs political intelligence and creative diplomacy, not just military operations and endless attacks.”