United Nations, 22 Dec (Xinhua) -- Dai Bing, chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations, said on 22 December that China is willing to work with other members of the Security Council to continue to push the Security Council to take further responsible and meaningful actions in a timely manner, and continue to make unremitting efforts to quell the fighting in the Gaza Strip at an early date, earnestly implement the two-state solution, and achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.
In his explanatory remarks after the Security Council voted on the draft resolution on the Palestinian-Israeli situation, Dai Bing said: The Security Council's vote has been repeatedly postponed, which has attracted wide attention from all sides. Over the past few days, the delegation of the United Arab Emirates has worked tirelessly to resubmit the draft resolution late at night on the 21st in order to build the greatest possible consensus. China welcomes the fact that the Security Council has just voted to adopt this resolution.
Dai Bing said: For reasons known to all, the draft resolution has made many adjustments in some important respects, which is not in line with the direction of the efforts of the members of the Security Council and has not met expectations. At the same time, given the current urgency and the growing humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, the Council's action provides at least a glimmer of hope for more and faster humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip. Of course, whether the people of the Gaza Strip in the disaster can truly feel this glimmer of hope depends on whether the resolution can be effectively implemented and whether the relevant requirements of the resolution can be implemented to the letter.
Dai Bing said that China expects the relevant parties to take urgent action in accordance with the Security Council resolution to expand humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip, including making full use of the Kerem Shalom crossing and opening additional crossings to ensure the safe and unhindered entry of sufficient humanitarian supplies into the Gaza Strip. China hopes that the new monitoring mechanism established by the resolution will be put in place as soon as possible, and that the Secretary-General of the United Nations will report to the Security Council on the implementation of the resolution in a timely manner. The Council should stand ready to take further action to address the problems and difficulties encountered in the implementation of the resolution.
Dai Bing said that the resolution reaffirms that all parties to the conflict should abide by their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law. China urges Israel to immediately change course, stop its indiscriminate military attacks and stop its collective punishment of the people in the Gaza Strip. As the occupying Power, Israel has an obligation to guarantee the humanitarian needs of the people of the Gaza Strip and to ensure the safety of humanitarian workers in the Gaza Strip. The achievement of a ceasefire remains the overriding prerequisite. Only a ceasefire can prevent more civilians, including detainees, from spiraling out of control, and only a ceasefire can avoid the complete destruction of the prospects for a political settlement. (ENDS).