China has again spoken out at the United Nations in support of the rights of the Palestinian people.
Addressing an open date at the UN Security Council on July 28, Ambassador Sun Lei said that: “The Palestinian question remains at the core of the Middle East issue and must not be ignored or marginalised. Only by achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question can the vicious cycle of recurring conflict in the Middle East be broken and the dawn of peace truly emerge.”
He went on to make three points:
- The suffering of civilians cannot continue, and peace and stability in Gaza must be restored. More than nine months have passed since the Gaza ceasefire agreement was reached, yet bombings, attacks, blockades and sieges have not ceased, and more than two million people remain unable to escape the threats of death and displacement. We call on Israel and the relevant parties to fully implement the ceasefire agreement and achieve a genuine and lasting ceasefire in Gaza. Israel must fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law.
- The international rule of law must not be undermined, and tensions in the West Bank must be brought under control. Settler violence in the West Bank is appalling, causing heavy civilian casualties and widespread destruction of homes. The occupying power continues to accelerate settlement expansion and encroach upon Palestinian territory. International law and Security Council resolution 2334 must be observed. Double standards and selective application are unacceptable. We urge Israel to immediately cease all settlement activities, take concrete measures to curb violence, and ensure serious accountability for all attacks.
- Fairness and justice must not be absent, and the two-State solution must be implemented. Israel achieved statehood long ago, while the State of Palestine remains far from reality. Any arrangement or new mechanism must adhere to the principle of “the Palestinians governing Palestine,” [and] respect the will of the Palestinian people. China supports the early establishment of an independent State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and enjoying full sovereignty.
Sun further touched briefly on the situation in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea, as well as on matters related to Lebanon and Syria, and concluded:
“The Middle East belongs to the people of the Middle East. It should not become an arena for great-power rivalry or a victim of geopolitical competition. China will continue to act in the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s four-point proposal on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, work with the international community to advance political solutions to hotspot issues in the region, support regional countries in pursuing independence, rebuilding mutual trust, and building a new regional security architecture suited to evolving realities, so as to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.”
The following is the full text of his speech. It was originally published on the website of China’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
Remarks by Ambassador Sun Lei, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Permanent Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the United Nations, at the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Situation in the Middle East
July 28 (China’s Permanent Mission to the UN) – Madam President,
I thank Deputy Special Coordinator Ramiz Alakbarov for his briefing.
The situation in the Middle East continues to escalate, with multiple hotspots interacting and reinforcing one another, casting the entire region under the shadow of conflict. Restoring peace is the strong aspiration of the people in the region, and achieving a ceasefire and ending the violence must be the overriding priority. The Palestinian question remains at the core of the Middle East issue and must not be ignored or marginalized. Only by achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian question can the vicious cycle of recurring conflict in the Middle East be broken and the dawn of peace truly emerge. I wish to emphasize three points.
First, the suffering of civilians cannot continue, and peace and stability in Gaza must be restored. More than nine months have passed since the Gaza ceasefire agreement was reached, yet bombings, attacks, blockades and sieges have not ceased, and more than two million people remain unable to escape the threats of death and displacement. Lasting security can only be built on respect and mutual trust. War and destruction will only breed hatred and confrontation. Gaza is not a permanent battlefield, nor are suffering and turmoil the destiny of its people. We call on Israel and the relevant parties to fully implement the ceasefire agreement and achieve a genuine and lasting ceasefire in Gaza. Israel must fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law, lift restrictions on the entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, and ensure that humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), can carry out their relief operations.
Second, the international rule of law must not be undermined, and tensions in the West Bank must be brought under control. Settler violence in the West Bank is appalling, causing heavy civilian casualties and widespread destruction of homes. The occupying power continues to accelerate settlement expansion and encroach upon Palestinian territory. Despite strong calls from the international community, the situation in the West Bank continues to deteriorate. An important reason is the lack of investigation and accountability and the persistence of impunity. International law and Security Council resolution 2334 must be observed. Double standards and selective application are unacceptable. We urge Israel to immediately cease all settlement activities, take concrete measures to curb violence, and ensure serious accountability for all attacks. The economy of the West Bank is already in dire straits. Israel should return the withheld tax revenues as soon as possible and lift its unreasonable restrictions on the West Bank.
Third, fairness and justice must not be absent, and the two-State solution must be implemented. For decades, the Palestinian-Israeli situation has repeatedly fallen into turmoil because the two-State solution has only been half realized. Israel achieved statehood long ago, while the State of Palestine remains far from reality. The international community must remain firmly committed to the two-State solution, step up its efforts, and take irreversible actions. Any arrangement or new mechanism must adhere to the principle of “the Palestinians governing Palestine,” respect the will of the Palestinian people, and promote rather than undermine the two-State solution. Any attempt to alter the territory or demographic composition of Palestine would seriously undermine the foundation of the two-State solution and must be firmly rejected. China supports the early establishment of an independent State of Palestine based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and enjoying full sovereignty.
Madam President,
China is deeply concerned over the recent renewed escalation of tensions in the Gulf region. The Memorandum of Understanding signed more than one month ago is a valuable outcome of the good offices and mediation efforts of multiple parties. It embodies the hope of the people of the Middle East for ending conflict and restoring peace and stability, and these hard-won achievements should not be squandered. Now that the door to negotiations has been opened, it should not be closed. As long as there remains hope for peace, efforts should not be abandoned. The most urgent task is to stay committed to resolving disputes through negotiations and return to implementing the consensus reached in the Memorandum of Understanding. China will continue to support the mediation efforts of Pakistan and other parties, promote the early resumption of dialogue and negotiations among the parties concerned, the early restoration of normal and secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz, improved relations among neighboring countries, and the pursuit of collective security for the Gulf States.
The Red Sea is an important international trade route. All parties concerned should respect the right of commercial vessels of all countries to navigate the Red Sea in accordance with international law, respect the sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of all countries, and jointly safeguard the safety and smooth flow of international shipping lanes. The parties concerned should continue to properly resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation and avoid actions that could further escalate confrontation. We welcome the easing of tensions between Lebanon and Israel. The parties concerned should cease hostilities and fully implement Security Council resolution 1701. Israel should complete its withdrawal from Lebanon. China supports Syria in safeguarding its sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity. The Golan Heights is occupied Syrian territory recognized by the international community, and the 1974 Agreement on Disengagement should be observed.
The Middle East belongs to the people of the Middle East. It should not become an arena for great-power rivalry or a victim of geopolitical competition. China will continue to act in the spirit of President Xi Jinping’s four-point proposal on promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, work with the international community to advance political solutions to hotspot issues in the region, support regional countries in pursuing independence, rebuilding mutual trust, and building a new regional security architecture suited to evolving realities, so as to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.
Thank you.
