Category: Middle East

Chinese envoy says Israel must cease Rafah offensive

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Xinhua) — A Chinese envoy said Monday that Israel must immediately cease its military offensive in Rafah city in the Gaza Strip.

Facing strong opposition from the international community, Israel is still pushing ahead with its large-scale offensive on Rafah, once again driving hundreds of thousands of Gazans into displacement, said Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, expressing China’s grave concern about and strong opposition to the operation.

“Nothing can justify the perpetuation of conflict. The collective punishment of civilians does not create conditions conducive to the rescue of hostages. Israel must immediately cease its military operation in Rafah,” he told the UN Security Council.

China supports further Security Council actions to ensure the implementation of its Resolution 2728, which demands a humanitarian cease-fire, Fu said, adding China also hopes that the United States, as the country with major influence on Israel, can uphold impartiality and effectively facilitate a cease-fire and cessation of hostilities.

The current humanitarian disaster in Gaza is inconceivable. The occupation of the Rafah border crossing has seriously hindered access to humanitarian aid, as humanitarian supplies from Jordan to Gaza have been blocked and sabotaged, and humanitarian workers and UN personnel are confronted with multiple obstacles and even risks to their lives, which is unacceptable, said Fu.

Land routes are crucial for humanitarian delivery and have no substitute, he said, noting Israel should effectively comply with its obligations under international law and international humanitarian law by immediately opening up all land crossings and ensuring the supply of food, medicine, fuel, and other necessities.

Noting the two-state solution is the only viable way to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Fu said China supports the establishment of an independent state of Palestine and its early admission as a full member of the United Nations.

Gaza is an inalienable part of Palestine, the Chinese envoy said, adding any proposal on post-war governance of Gaza should respect the will of the Palestinian people, should respect the legitimate concerns of the countries in the region, and should not deviate from the general direction of the two-state solution.

May 15 marked the 76th anniversary of Nakba, the massive exodus of Palestinians that occurred in 1948 following the establishment of the state of Israel, Fu noted. For decades, generations of Palestinians have made arduous struggles for their legitimate rights, he added.

China will continue to work tirelessly together with the international community to promote an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, alleviate the humanitarian disaster, and implement the two-state solution, so that Nakba will forever be the past, and Palestine and Israel can live side by side in peace, and the Middle East can enjoy lasting peace and stability, Fu said.

China firmly supports Palestinian people restoring their legitimate national rights

BEIJING, May 22 (Xinhua) — China always firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, and will continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role in promoting a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Wednesday.

Wang made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to the news that Spain and Ireland said they are going to recognize the Palestinian State.

China always firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, supports the two-State solution and is one of the first countries to recognize the State of Palestine. China’s stance on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is consistent, Wang noted.

“We believe the immediate priority is to implement UNSC Resolution 2728, realize ceasefire at once, end the unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Gaza and return to the right track of seeking a political settlement of the Palestinian question on the basis of the two-State solution as soon as possible,” Wang said.

China will continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role in ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as early as possible and promoting a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question, the spokesperson added.

China supports UNSC’s early reconsideration of Palestine’s application to join UN

UNITED NATIONS, May 10 (Xinhua) — China on Friday expressed support for the UN Security Council (UNSC) to reconsider Palestine’s application to join the world body.

China’s permanent representative to the UN Fu Cong emphasized the need for Palestine to be granted full UN membership in his address at the Tenth Emergency Special Session of the UN General Assembly.

Fu highlighted that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been cyclical for decades, causing generations of Palestinians to “lose their home and live in displacement under occupation.”

He described the situation as a “wound of the world that is constantly ripped open and bleeding.”

Fu stressed that “independent statehood has been a long-cherished aspiration of the Palestinian people” and full UN membership is a crucial step in this historic process.

He insisted that “Palestine should have the same status as Israel,” and it is the international community’s “common responsibility to support and advance the process of Palestine’s independent statehood” to ensure the “implementation of the two-state solution and lasting peace in the Middle East.”

Reflecting on recent developments, Fu expressed regret that “Palestine’s application for full UN membership was mercilessly vetoed by the United States in the Security Council on April 18.”

He criticized the United States for using its veto power to obstruct efforts to correct historical injustice against Palestine, stating that this is “not commensurate with the role of a responsible major country.”

The General Assembly’s emergency special session adopted a resolution by an overwhelming majority, reaffirming the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, recognizing Palestine’s qualification for full UN membership, and recommending that the Security Council reconsider its application.

“China welcomes this historic resolution, which reflects the will of the international community,” Fu said, noting that China co-sponsored the resolution and hoped that “the relevant country will not create further delays or hurdles.”

The resolution also includes provisions for Palestine’s participation in UN activities, granting additional rights and privileges. Fu explained that these are “special modalities decided on for a lack of other options as a remedy for the historical injustice long endured by Palestine” and as a correction to the U.S. abuse of its veto power.

He said that these modalities, adopted within the limits permitted by the UN Charter, will “enable the international community to listen more adequately to the voice of Palestine” and assist in facilitating dialogue and negotiations with Israel on a relatively equal footing.

Fu emphasized that these arrangements are exceptional and not a precedent, expressing confidence that one day Palestine “will become a full UN member and enjoy full and equal rights in the UN like other member states.”

Fu concluded by addressing the ongoing conflict, identifying the lack of implementation of the two-state solution as the core issue.

He urged Israel to “stop the collective punishment of the Gaza population,” halt its military actions in Rafah, and remove all restrictions on humanitarian goods entering Gaza.

In the West Bank, Fu called for an end to settlement activities and a reduction in settler violence.

He reaffirmed China’s commitment to playing a constructive role in achieving an immediate ceasefire, revitalizing the two-state solution, and promoting peaceful coexistence and lasting stability in the Middle East.

Beijing, March 26th—Li Mingxiang, Vice-minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee, met here today with a delegation of left-wing political parties in Arab countries led by Bassam Zakarneh, Member of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council.  

Li spoke positively of relations between China and Arab countries. Combining the spirit of China’s “Two Sessions”, he elaborated on the bright prospect of Chinese modernization in an in-depth manner. Li said that the Chinese side is willing to work with the international community to continue to make unremitting efforts to promote a ceasefire in Gaza and achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East. The CPC is willing to deepen strategic communication and experience exchanges in state governance and administration with left-wing political parties in Arab countries, help build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era, and jointly advance the cause of human progress.  

Zakarneh said that China-Arab relations in the new era have achieved rapid development on the basis of traditional friendship, injecting confidence and impetus into regional and world peace, stability, development and prosperity, and thanked the Chinese side for its firm support for the Palestinian peoples’ just cause of regaining their legitimate national rights. Left-wing political parties in Arab countries are willing to strengthen exchanges with the CPC and learn from the CPC’s successful experience in promoting theoretical innovation and Chinese modernization. 

Explanation of Vote by Ambassador Zhang Jun on the UN Security Council Resolution on the Gaza Ceasefire

Mr. President,

China voted in favor of the draft resolution that has just been put to the vote. We thank Algeria, Mozambique, and other elected Council members for their efforts.

Last Friday, the Security Council voted on the other draft resolution proposed by the United States on the situation in Gaza. China together with Algeria and Russia voted against it. A comparison of the two drafts shows the differences. The current draft is unequivocal and correct in its direction, demanding an immediate ceasefire, while the previous one has been evasive and ambiguous. The current draft demands an unconditional ceasefire, while the previous one has set preconditions for a ceasefire. The current draft reflects the general expectations of the international community and enjoys the collective support of the Arab states, while the previous one has been jointly rejected by the Arab states. The differences between the two drafts boil down to nothing but whether there should be an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and whether the collective punishment of the people in Gaza should be allowed to continue. On this issue, China, like most members of the international community, has been very clear from the very outset. Whether we voted against it last Friday, or in favor of it today, our vote has been based on our consistent position and proposition.

After repeated vetoes of Council actions, the United States finally decided to stop obstructing the Council’s demand for an immediate ceasefire. However, the US still tried to find all kinds of excuses to make accusations against China. The eyes of the international community are discerning. The accusations by the US are untenable. On the contrary, it’s because of China and other countries concerned upholding principles and justice, that we forced the US to realize that it cannot, and is unable to continue to obstruct the efforts of the Council to take the decisive step in the right direction. In the end, justice prevails.

Mr. President, 

China voted against the draft resolution that has just been put to the vote. And I would like to explain China’s voting position and relevant considerations as follows.

More than 160 days have passed since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict. In the face of a human tragedy in which more than 32,000 innocent civilians have lost their lives and millions are suffering from famine, the most urgent action to be taken by the Council is to promote an immediate, unconditional, and sustained ceasefire. This is the universal call of the international community, the decision taken by the emergency special session of the General Assembly a few months ago, and the solemn appeal by the Secretary-General of the UN to the Council while invoking Article 99 of the Charter. The Council has dragged its feet and wasted too much time in this regard. 

We all recall that the US introduced its own draft resolution after vetoing on February 20 the overwhelming consensus among Council members on an immediate ceasefire. Over the past month, the draft has undergone several iterations and contains elements that respond to the concerns of the international community. But it has always evaded and dodged the most essential issue, that is, a ceasefire. The final text remains ambiguous and does not call for an immediate ceasefire. Nor does it even provide an answer to the question of realizing a ceasefire in the short term. This is a clear deviation from the consensus of the Council members and falls far short of the expectations of the international community. An immediate ceasefire is a fundamental prerequisite for saving lives, expanding humanitarian access, and preventing greater conflicts. The US draft, on the contrary, sets up preconditions for a ceasefire, which is no different from giving a green light to continued killings, and thus unacceptable. 

The draft is also very unbalanced in many other aspects, in particular, with regard to Israel’s recent and repeated declarations of plan for a military offensive on Rafah, the draft does not clearly and unequivocally state its opposition, which would send an utterly wrong signal and lead to severe consequences. 

Any action taken by the Security Council should stand the test of history and the scrutiny of morality and conscience. With a view to safeguarding fairness and justice, the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and the dignity of the Council, and also based on the concerns and strong opposition from the Arab states regarding this draft resolution, China together with Algeria and Russia have voted against the draft resolution. 

Mr. President, 

Members of the Council have now before them another draft resolution that was the result of collective consultations among elected members of the Council. This draft is clear on the issue of a ceasefire, in line with the correct direction of the Council’s action, and of great relevance. China supports this draft. We hope that the members of the Council will reach agreement on this basis as soon as possible and send a clear signal calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the fighting. 

Like other members, China has from the outset called for the immediate release of all hostages, a repeated demand in Security Council Resolutions 2712 and 2720. We welcome the mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar, and others to this end. And we hope that all detainees will be released at an early date. 

China rejects the accusations by the US and the UK against China’s voting position. Those are groundless accusations. If the US was serious about a ceasefire, it wouldn’t have vetoed time and again multiple Council resolutions, and wouldn’t have taken such a detour and played a game of words while being ambiguous and evasive on critical issues. If the US is serious about a ceasefire, then please vote in favor of the other draft resolution clearly calling for a ceasefire, so that a ceasefire can be finally and immediately achieved, the Palestinians’ sufferings ended, and hostages released at an early date. For the US at the current stage, what is most important is not words, but actions. 

China will continue to work with Council members and the international community to play a responsible and constructive role in order to achieve a ceasefire and put an end to the fighting, alleviate the suffering, implement the two-State solution, and promote a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the question of Palestine. 

Thank you, Mr. President.

A Chinese foreign ministry envoy met with Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, Beijing’s foreign ministry confirmed in a statement on Tuesday. 

In the brief statement, the Chinese ministry said that Chinese Ambassador Wang Kejian met Haniyeh in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday, and that the two “exchanged views on the Gaza conflict and other issues”.

According to a statement released by Hamas, Haniyeh “emphasized the necessity of quickly stopping the (Israeli) aggression and massacres (in Gaza), the withdrawal of the occupation army, the return of the displaced, providing shelter and (the) reconstruction (of the Strip).”

Haniyeh also reportedly “praised the role that China plays in the Security Council, the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and in sending humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.”

For his part, Beijing’s envoy “affirmed the close and historical relationship between the Palestinian and Chinese peoples and China’s firm positions towards the Palestinian cause and its support for the just demands of the Palestinian people for freedom, independence, and the establishment of a state.”

Wang Kejian also “emphasized the necessity of stopping this war and ending the killing that the Palestinians are subjected to and providing for their humanitarian needs.”

This is reportedly the first such meeting between Hamas and China since the beginning of the Israeli war on Gaza, following the military operation carried out on October 7 by Hamas and other Palestinian Resistance groups in southern Israel. 

Right to Armed Struggle

Unlike Washington, which gave total backing to Israel to continue with its war on Gaza, thus refusing international calls for ceasefire, the Chinese position called for the respect of international law. 

Beijing’s position went further by openly supporting the Palestinian people’s right to the use of armed struggle to achieve national liberation. 

Addressing the International Court of Justice on February 22, the Chinese representative said the Palestinians’ use of armed struggle to gain independence from foreign and colonial rule is “legitimate” and “well-founded” in international law.

“In pursuit of the right to self-determination, Palestinian people’s use of force to resist foreign oppression and complete the establishment of an independent state is (an) inalienable right well founded in international law,” Ma Xinmin told the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Citing resolutions by the UN General Assembly, Beijing’s envoy to the top world court said that people struggling for self-determination could use “all available means, including armed struggle.”

“The struggle waged by peoples for their liberation, right to self-determination, including armed struggle against colonialism, occupation, aggression, domination against foreign forces should not be considered terror acts,” Ma stated in his address to the ICJ, citing international conventions.

Gaza Genocide

Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7. 

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 31,819 Palestinians have been killed, and 73,934 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.

Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.

Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.

The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba. 

Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire.’

Senior Chinese official Ma Xinmin made a powerful statement Feb. 22 before the International Court of Justice that Palestinians have the right to engage in armed struggle, because they live under an illegal Israeli occupation.

Ma, who is director general of the department of treaty and law at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the 15-judge panel in The Hague, Netherlands, that armed struggle differed from terrorism. “In pursuit of the right to self-determination,” said Ma, “Palestinian people’s use of force to resist foreign oppression and complete the establishment of an independent state is an inalienable right well founded in international law.” (Palestine Chronicle, Feb. 22)

Ma’s statement marked a break with China’s policy prior to Oct. 7, 2023, of normalizing economic and diplomatic ties with Israel. China’s latest statement confronted the U.S.-European Union policy of supporting Israel with military, diplomatic and economic assistance.

While avoiding any military provocation, the Chinese government and Communist Party have consistently defended Chinese sovereignty and Chinese national interests against any challenge from U.S. imperialism and its allies. Ma’s statement extends that defense in the diplomatic arena to the right of the Palestinian people to fight for self-determination.

Reflects mass worldwide support for Palestine

That China’s policy makers would make such a bold challenge illustrates the worldwide shift in popular support for Palestine and the growing mass anger against the Israeli occupation state and its imperialist enablers. It indicates that political leaders are well-aware that hundreds of millions of people around the world are pressuring political actors regarding what position they are taking to stop the genocide in Gaza.

The massive international solidarity with Palestine emboldens those in leadership or vital positions to take steps to stop the massacre of Palestinian civilians, stop the slaughter of children, stop killings that much of the world sees as genocide.

Now a representative of People’s China has said that international law is on the side of the Palestinians. That Palestine has a legitimate fight for self-determination. That Palestinians have the right to wage armed struggle.

“The struggle waged by peoples for their liberation, right to self-determination, including armed struggle against colonialism, occupation, aggression, domination against foreign forces should not be considered terror acts,” Ma said. (Palestine Chronicle, Feb. 22)

The Chinese statement not only reflects the strength of a massive worldwide movement, it adds to that strength. After all, as much production takes place in China as the next nine countries combined — including the U.S., Germany, Japan, Britain and India. That’s according to the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) in Europe.

Even if China’s actions were limited to diplomatic support, the Palestinian position would be strengthened. But the Chinese government has also announced plans to send its third shipment of material aid to Gaza.

Through much of 2023, it seemed the U.S. corporate media, including establishment media like The New York Times, went out of their way to attack some aspects of life in People’s China or policies of the Chinese Communist Party. Strangely enough, there has been no or little coverage of Ma’s statement to the court, not even an attack, as of Feb. 26.

Media based in the Middle East and South Asia, on the contrary, gave Ma’s statement full coverage.

China’s positions hold authority with many anti-imperialist and pro-socialist activists and organizations worldwide. Should this statement be publicized it can help build solidarity of communist and workers’ organizations in the imperialist countries with the organizations of different ideologies who are leading the struggle for self-determination in Palestine and in all of West Asia.

China’s leaders have aided the peoples’ struggles worldwide by taking this bold position in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.