Sustainable peace in the Middle East — in particular between Israel and the Palestinians — will require meaningful change in Palestine’s status: Its sovereignty must be established and recognized. A unified push by China and the United States to that end would be an important guarantor of success.

The international system seems unable to curb hegemonism and Cold War thinking, but China-Russia strategic coordination can mark a new path. As the two nations achieve win-win cooperation through the “five always” standard, the fundamental interests of the Chinese people will be served in the process.

Washington does not want the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to escalate, as that would undermine its “pivot to Asia” strategy. But it doesn’t mind so much when Israel attacks Iran because that serves as a sort of proxy warning to other hostile forces in the Middle East.

The protracted conflict may force the U.S. president to alienate Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu to the point of jeopardizing the special relationship, thereby causing powerful Jewish voters and lobbies to withdraw their support. Other traditional Democratic constituencies, such as Muslim-Americans, may follow suit.

The youth will be crucial for President Joe Biden’s bid for re-election, as it was in 2020. But Biden’s continued support for Israel is cooling their ardor. To make matters worse, support for Biden among Muslim-Americans — a key voting bloc in some swing states — has taken a nosedive.

The latest Palestinian-Israeli conflict has lasted four and a half months since its outbreak in October and resulted in nearly 30,000 Palestinian deaths, the destruction of nearly all infrastructure in the Gaza Strip and more than 2 million people left homeless, as well as a severe shortage of food, drinking water and medicine. The humanitarian disaster is intensifying with each passing day.

A New Cold War is not in the interest of either the U.S. or China, particularly given the volatility in the Middle East. In fact, the two nations share common interests in the region, and the threat of widespread conflict should inspire an element of strategic sobriety and tactical cooperation.

The role of the U.S. and China is pivotal in shaping the potential outcomes of the Israel-Gaza conflict, and while China already supports more balanced developments, Washington should take notes and implement a diplomatic solution that considers the needs of all peoples and communities.

Direct military engagement by the United States and UK against Houthi forces in Yemen is not helping to resolve the crisis. It only encourages the Houthis to dig in deeper in support of the Palestinians against Israel. Resolution of the conflict in Gaza will have a positive effect on the Houthis.