BEIJING, October 20. /TASS/. Beijing and Moscow are ready to contribute to finding a just solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, CCTV quoted a senior Chinese diplomat as saying.

"China is ready to maintain communication and coordinate things with Russia, contribute to de-escalating the situation as soon as possible and play a positive role in order to revive peace talks between Palestine and Israel, truly implement a two-state initiative and contribute to finding a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue as soon as possible," Zhai Jun, China’s Special Envoy on the Middle East, said at a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.

China mourns the heavy civilian toll from the escalation in the Middle East and the rapidly aggravating humanitarian situation in Palestine, Zhai said. To him, the main reason behind the latest escalation is that the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people have not been realized.

The two diplomats held talks in Doha on October 19.

The new escalation of hostilities in the Middle East broke out on October 7, when militants from the Gaza-based Palestinian radical group Hamas staged a surprise incursion into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Israel ordered a total siege of the Gaza Strip and began delivering air strikes on the enclave and certain parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are underway in the West Bank of the Jordan River as well.