China Urges Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza Strip: UN Representative

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China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations: A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip remains the overriding prerequisite

Xinhua News Agency, United Nations, December 19 (Reporter Wang Jiangang) China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun emphasized at the Security Council’s public meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli issue on the 19th that achieving a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip remains the overriding prerequisite.

Zhang Jun said that only a ceasefire can avoid greater casualties among civilians, including detained persons, prevent regional conflicts from getting out of control, and prevent the prospects for a political settlement from being completely ruined. The international community has repeatedly issued overwhelming calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. However, Israel continues to carry out bombing and shelling, and schools, hospitals, refugee camps, etc. have repeatedly been targeted by military operations. There is no justifiable reason for such attacks. China urges Israel to immediately change its course, stop indiscriminate military attacks, and stop collective punishment of the people in the Gaza Strip.

Zhang Jun said that all efforts should be made to prevent the situation in the West Bank from getting out of control. While international attention is focused on the Gaza Strip, violence between Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank has intensified. Searches, arrests, and attacks against Palestinians occur every day, causing a large number of Palestinian casualties. China urges Israel, as the occupying power, to fulfill its obligations under international law, stop all settlement activities, effectively curb settler violence, and end impunity.

Zhang Jun said that since the outbreak of the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, more than two million innocent people in the Gaza Strip have suffered an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. Under this circumstance, the United Arab Emirates, on behalf of Arab countries, proposed a new Security Council draft resolution aimed at eliminating humanitarian access bottlenecks and mitigating the humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip. The UAE conducted extensive consultations with all members on the content of the draft resolution and listened to the opinions of UN humanitarian agencies, and received the support of an overwhelming majority of members. China participated in co-sponsoring the draft resolution. China urges relevant members to adopt a constructive attitude and support the Security Council in taking prompt and meaningful actions to save lives. The UAE’s draft resolution is an urgent measure to address the current humanitarian disaster in the Gaza Strip. In the face of the continued prolongation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the escalation of the situation in the West Bank, the Security Council must further play its due role and take action for an early ceasefire and end of war, restoration of regional peace, and maintenance of fairness and justice.

Zhang Jun said that the “two-state solution” must be revived with the greatest political determination. The “two-state solution” is the only way to solve the Palestinian-Israeli issue, and it is also a broad consensus of the international community. The crux of the protracted resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli issue lies precisely in the fact that the “two-state solution” has not been implemented. China calls for increased international and regional diplomatic efforts to reaffirm its commitment to the “two-state solution”, revive the political prospects of the “two-state solution”, and restart direct negotiations between Palestine and Israel. There is no doubt that any solution to the Palestinian issue should respect the wishes of the Palestinian people and the legitimate concerns of regional countries, and must not deviate from the basic direction of the “two-state solution.” China proposes to convene an international peace conference with a larger scale, greater scope and more effectiveness, and promote the formation of a timetable and road map to truly implement the “two-state solution”.

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2023-12-20 02:03:00