United Nations, 5 May (ZXS) -- At a public meeting on the question of Palestine in the Middle East held by the UN Security Council on 24 May, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, stressed three points and called on all parties concerned to make concrete efforts to promote the Middle East peace process.
On the same day, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Vinnezlan, gave a briefing that Israel launched air strikes on the Gaza Strip this month, and although the Palestinian Islamic Jihad has reached a ceasefire agreement with Israel, the situation in the area remains tense. Violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the West Bank remains high. In addition, the World Food Programme, which provides emergency assistance to Palestinians, faces a funding crisis.
Geng Shuang said that the repeated occurrence of Palestinian-Israeli tensions and conflicts in the past few years fully shows that the long-term stagnation of the peace process is unsustainable, piecemeal crisis management is difficult to last, and comprehensive and just solutions cannot be replaced. He emphasized three points:
First, the historical status quo of the religious holy sites in Jerusalem must be respected and upheld. On 5 May, senior Israeli security officials entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound for the second time this year, sparking new tensions. On the issue of religious holy sites, Israel must cease its provocations, guarantee the right of Muslims to worship, preserve the peace and tranquillity of religious holy sites and respect Jordan's jurisdiction.
Secondly, the illegal expansion of settlements in the occupied territories must stop. Since the beginning of this year, Israel has continued to advance unilateral actions on the issue of ratifying returns, building new settlements and legitimizing settlements. China urges Israel to immediately cease these actions and to stop encroaching on the land and resources of the Palestinian people.
Third, IHL must be respected. Since the beginning of this year, more than 100 Palestinians, including children, have been killed in the conflict, and there have been civilian casualties in Israel. All parties concerned should stop all violence against civilians and stop targeting public infrastructure such as schools and hospitals. The situation of Palestine refugees should be alleviated and the needs of the Palestinian economy and people's livelihood guaranteed. The Israeli blockade of Gaza should be lifted as soon as possible, and the flow of personnel and reconstruction materials in the Gaza Strip should remain unimpeded.
Geng Shuang said that maintaining the historical status quo of religious holy sites, stopping the expansion of settlements, and abiding by international humanitarian law are the basic requirements to prevent the repeated escalation of Palestinian-Israeli tensions. The parties have an obligation to implement and should not be used as a bargain. Implementing the above three requirements is also a basic step to promote the relaunching of the "two-state solution". The international community's support for the two-State solution cannot remain mere rhetorical, and support for Palestinian-Israeli direct negotiations cannot be used as an excuse to evade responsibility. Countries that have important influence on the parties concerned should make real efforts to promote the Middle East peace process and should not unreasonably prevent the Security Council from reaching a minimum consensus on the Palestinian-Israeli issue.
Geng Shuang said that China will continue to firmly support the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights and support the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital. China will, together with the international community, make positive contributions to the early realization of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine and the harmonious coexistence and common development of the Arab and Jewish peoples. (End)