An employee at Israeli Embassy stabbed in Beijing by Foreign National
An employee of the Israeli Embassy in China was stabbed in central Beijing, prompting the U.S. to warn its citizens in the capital to be vigilant as the war between Israel and Hamas escalates in the Middle East.
A statement from the embassy said the victim, an Israeli national, was hospitalized and in stable condition on Friday, while the attacker was arrested and under investigation.
Beijing police said the perpetrator was a 53-year-old male foreign national who operated a small retail business in Beijing, but didn’t specify his nationality. A family member of the victim is a diplomat at the embassy, authorities said.
A video of the incident showed a man in a white shirt repeatedly stabbing another man on the sidewalk before limping away. The video was corroborated by Storyful, which is owned by The Wall Street Journal’s parent company, News Corp.
In another video, which was also verified by Storyful, the victim can be seen covered in blood as bystanders administered first aid.
For a sprawling capital of more than 20 million residents, Beijing is by and large a safe city. Attacks on foreigners, and especially embassy personnel, are exceedingly rare.
The stabbing occurred near Beijing’s embassy district, ound the corner from a fruit and vegetable market that is popular with diplomats and other expatriates. On Friday evening, several hours after the incident, police and plain-clothed security agents prevented some journalists from taking photos there.
Police said the stabbing occurred at about 2 p.m. Nearby shopkeepers said police arrived shortly afterward to cordon off the area while an ambulance transported the victim to the hospital.
“We are shocked by today’s attack on an Israeli diplomat in Beijing,” Nicholas Burns, the U.S. ambassador to China, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Burns said he had spoken to the Israeli ambassador to China about the incident and offered her the U.S.’s full support.
Earlier in the week, Israeli Ambassador Irit Ben-Abba Vitale delivered a speech at a reception at the U.S. ambassador’s residence that was also attended by a bipartisan group of senators who were visiting the Chinese capital.
“We need the support of the whole world. We need the support of China,” she said. “We need you in these very difficult times.”
The attack presents a challenge to China’s careful response to the war so far. While China has lamented the loss of innocent lives, it has avoided criticizing Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip. China has long supported the Palestinian cause and advocates a two-state solution to resolve the cycle of conflict.
A spokesman for China’s Foreign Ministry said that three Chinese citizens had been so far confirmed killed in the conflict, two were missing and several others have been wounded.
In light of the attack on the diplomat, the U.S. Embassy in Beijing sent out a notice for U.S. citizens to exercise caution in China.
“The U.S. Embassy is not aware of specific threats to U.S. citizens but recommends maintaining vigilance with regard to personal security,” the notice said.
This article was reported by the Wall Street Journal
