UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 17 — A Chinese envoy on Monday called for a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians for the protection of civilians, at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
The latest round of conflict has resulted in massive civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis. Its spillover effects have impacted regional peace and stability. China is deeply concerned about this, said Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations.
China condemns all acts that harm civilians and opposes all acts that violate international law. China supports the UN Security Council in playing a responsible role, supports all efforts aimed at de-escalation and peace, and welcomes all initiatives that are conducive to protecting civilians and mitigating the humanitarian crisis, he said.
On the basis of the above-mentioned position, China voted in favour of the Russian-drafted resolution, said Zhang in an explanation statement after the vote at the meeting.
The Security Council failed to adopt the draft resolution that calls for a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza.
In the face of the dire situation, China calls for efforts to realize a cease-fire as soon as possible and to prevent the spread of the flames of war, so as to avoid the further escalation of tensions. Military means are not the way out. Violence for violence will only lead to an endless vicious cycle, said Zhang.
“China calls for respect for international humanitarian law and for all efforts to ensure the security of civilians. The protection of civilians in armed conflict is a red line under international humanitarian law. Civilians should not be the target of military operations. The indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable. The maintenance of one’s own security cannot come at the cost of harming innocent civilians. The safety of UN staff and humanitarian workers must be guaranteed,” he said.
China supports diplomatic and mediation efforts aimed at the release of hostages. China calls for the opening of a humanitarian relief corridor as soon as possible to avoid a more severe humanitarian disaster, he said.
Zhang expressed China’s grave concerns about the consequences of Israel’s imposition of a full siege on Gaza and its order of an emergency evacuation of the population in northern Gaza.
China calls on Israel to heed the appeals of the international community to resume water, electricity and fuel supplies to Gaza, and stop the collective punishment of the people in the strip. China supports the opening of a humanitarian corridor at an early date so that food, medicine and other humanitarian relief supplies can be delivered in a timely and smooth manner, said Zhang.
The Security Council bears the primary responsibility to maintain international peace and security and should play its due role in resolving the current crisis. It is also the common expectation of the international community for the council to reach a consensus as soon as possible and adopt real measures, he said.
The Russian-drafted resolution demonstrates the overall direction of the council’s focus on humanitarian concerns and the protection of civilians. China greatly regrets the fact that the council disagreed on this draft resolution, he said.
“Humanitarian issues should not be politicized. Protecting civilians should be a priority for all parties,” said Zhang.
The current conflict is spreading and suffering is continuing. The council should not give up its efforts in this regard. Brazil has also proposed a draft resolution. China hopes that all parties continue to seek consensus and take more active actions to ease the tension and avoid a humanitarian disaster, he said.
History has time again proved that the repeated outbreak of the crisis between Israelis and Palestinians is fundamentally due to the fact that the basis of the two-state solution keeps being eroded, that the Middle East peace process has veered from the right track and that relevant UN resolutions have not been effectively implemented, he said.
When dealing with this new round of conflict, the international community must go beyond the fragmented case-by-case crisis management model, persevere toward the fundamental direction of the two-state solution, and make greater efforts toward a comprehensive, lasting solution to the question, he said.
Since the outbreak of the crisis, China has actively conducted efforts to facilitate the ease of tension and actively promote peace talks. China will always stand on the side of peace, justice, and international law.
China is ready to work with the international community to make unremitting efforts to stop the fighting in Gaza at an early date and realize the peaceful coexistence of Palestine and Israel, as well as lasting peace and security in the Middle East. (Xinhua)
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