Chinese envoy to the UN, Fu Cong, said on Tuesday (local time) at a UN Security Council briefing that China is gravely concerned about Israel's resumption of hostilities in Gaza and strongly condemns it. This comes as Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing hundreds of Palestinians.
We strongly urge the abandonment of the logic of supremacy of force. Military means is not the way to solve the Palestinian-Israeli issue, Fu said, according to a transcript on the website of the Permanent Mission of China to the UN.
The stark contrast between 15 months of bloody conflict and 42 days of ceasefire clear shows that the indiscriminate use of force is not the right way to bring back hostages and may even put them at greater risks, and China urges Israel to renounce its obsession with the use of force, immediately cease military operations in Gaza, and stop the collective punishment of the Gazan civilians, Fu noted.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said he is "outraged by the Israeli air strikes in Gaza," joining a chorus of international condemnation as more than 400 Palestinians have been killed, including many women and children, the Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the strikes after Hamas refused Israeli demands to free half of the remaining hostages as a precondition for extending the ceasefire, the AP reported on Wednesday.
We strongly demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Fu told the UN Security Council briefing.
Since the ceasefire agreement was reached, it should be fully and seriously implemented in good faith, and no attempt should be made to alter or undermine it midway. China calls on the parties to implement the ceasefire agreement fully and continuously, and expects the ceasefire guarantors to adopt a fair and responsible approach to facilitate the continuous implementation of the three-phase agreement and ensure the realization of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, Fu noted.
The Chinese envoy also noted that China strongly opposes the weaponization and politicization of humanitarian aid.
As of today, for 17 consecutive days, no humanitarian supplies were allowed into Gaza, and the loss of power disabled a desalinization plant, worsening the water shortage crisis. The use of humanitarian aid as a bargaining chip is in violation of international law, especially international humanitarian law. China condemns such practice. We urge Israel to fulfill its obligations as the occupying power under international humanitarian law and immediately restore full humanitarian access to Gaza, Fu said.
Fu also strongly called for the revitalization of the political prospects of the two-state solution.
The implementation of the two-state solution is the only viable way to resolve the question of Palestine. Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, are all inseparable parts of the Palestinian state, Fu said.
We support the Gaza recovery and reconstruction plan jointly initiated by Egypt and other Arab states, and support an early launch of reconstruction underpinned by the principle of Palestinians governing Palestine, whereby the Palestinian people can rebuild their homes in their own territory, Fu noted. The international community should step up its efforts to advance the political process of the two-state solution and provide necessary support to this end, he said.
"For some time now, we have witnessed a dangerous sign in the Middle East," Fu said.
As the international rule of law and international order are violated and undermined, the law of the jungle seems to reign. This is worrisome and concerning, Fu noted.
The Security Council, as the primary body for maintaining international peace and security, should put a prompt end to such chaos. We support further actions by the Council to bring about a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, restore peace in the Middle East, and achieve a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the Palestinian question, he said.
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