United Nations, 29 Dec (Xinhua) -- Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, spoke at a Security Council open meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli issue on 29 December, calling on the international community to go all out to promote a Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire.
Geng Shuang said: More than 80 days have passed since the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and more than 2 million innocent people in the Gaza Strip have suffered unprecedented humanitarian disasters. Despite the numerous resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Security Council, which strongly call for a ceasefire and an end to hostilities, an end to the collective punishment of innocent people in the Gaza Strip, and a strong demand that the occupying side abide by international law and international humanitarian law, it is sad that the blockade and siege of the Gaza Strip, the violence and killing of civilians, and the raids and arrests in the West Bank continue. The international community must pool all its efforts to promote a ceasefire, mitigate disasters and save lives.
First, a prolonged war will only make the Palestinians and Israelis even greater, exacerbate the obstacles to humanitarian assistance, and undermine the prospects for a political settlement. There is no safe place in Gaza, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been repeatedly forced to relocate, but there is nowhere to escape. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has repeatedly warned that Gaza under fire is not equipped to carry out humanitarian relief by UN agencies. China urges Israel to immediately cease its indiscriminate military attacks, stop its collective punishment of the people in the Gaza Strip, and provide the necessary conditions for humanitarian agencies to carry out assistance in the Gaza Strip.
Secondly, the current humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is extremely dire. A man-made, predictable, and tragic catastrophe is unfolding. China welcomes the appointment by the UN Secretary-General of the High Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for the Gaza Strip, calls on all parties to earnestly and fully implement Security Council resolution 2720, and looks forward to the establishment of relevant mechanisms as soon as possible to ensure the safe and unhindered access of sufficient humanitarian goods to Gaza.
Thirdly, Israeli settlement activities in the occupied territories, including the West Bank, as well as the escalating attacks, searches and settler violence, constitute grave violations of Security Council resolution 2334 and seriously erode the foundations of the two-state solution. China urges Israel to earnestly fulfill its responsibilities as an occupying Power, to cease all settlement activities, to curb the escalating settler violence, and to thoroughly investigate and hold accountable the relevant incidents.
Fourthly, the crux of the protracted delay in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli issue lies in the fact that the two-state solution has not been implemented and the basic rights of the Palestinian people have not been guaranteed. China proposes to convene an international peace conference on a larger scale, on a larger scale and with greater effectiveness, and to promote the formation of a timetable and roadmap for the implementation of the two-state solution as soon as possible. China supports Palestine becoming a full Member State of the United Nations and the early resumption of direct Palestinian-Israeli talks. (ENDS).