Statement by Ambassador Zhang Jun, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, at the Security Council Open Debate on the Middle East and Palestine
Mr.president:
I welcome Permanent Secretary Kamau to preside over today’s meeting, and thank Special Coordinator Winnisland for his briefing and Ms. Ashrawi and Mr. Levy for their speeches.
China is seriously concerned about the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. In the past five months of the conflict in Gaza, the security and humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has remained grim. In the Gaza Strip, the May conflict destroyed a large number of public facilities and civilian houses, which made the already severe economic and humanitarian situation worse. Of the 110,000 displaced people in Gaza, 8,250 still have not returned to their homes. The later recovery and reconstruction of Gaza come, the greater the suffering of the people affected by the conflict. Qatar has cooperated with the United Nations to issue cash assistance. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East has overcome difficulties and carried out work to alleviate the plight of local people. China appreciates this. We call for the reconstruction of Gaza to be initiated as soon as possible to restore the normal life of the people, and the international community should increase its support for the reconstruction of Gaza. Israel should further open relevant ports in Gaza to clear obstacles for the entry of humanitarian and reconstruction materials into Gaza.
China strongly appeals to ease the tension. In the West Bank, Israeli military and police operations continue to cause Palestinian casualties, aggravate the conflict between Palestine and Israel, and escalate tensions. Israeli settler violence has intensified. The settler attack on September 28 injured many Palestinians, including a 3-year-old child in his sleep. As the Special Coordinator Winnisland has repeatedly emphasized, Israel, as the occupying party, must fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law, guarantee the safety of the people in the occupied territories, thoroughly investigate attacks, and bring those responsible to justice.
China urges Israel to stop the expansion of settlements and other actions that undermine the prospects of the “two-state solution”. A few days ago, Israel approved the construction plan in the settlement of Givat Hamatos in Jerusalem, and Palestinian residents in communities such as Sheikh Jala are still facing the risk of being deported. The construction of settlements violates international law and undermines the prospects of the “two-state solution.” Israel must abide by the relevant UN resolutions, stop expanding settlements, stop demolishing Palestinian houses, and stop expelling Palestinians. The historically formed status quo of Jerusalem’s religious holy sites should be maintained and respected.
Mr.president,
The fundamental solution to the Palestinian issue lies in the implementation of the “two-state solution.” Two weeks ago, the Permanent Observer of Palestine stated in a letter to the rotating chairman of the Security Council that the international community should not substitute crisis management for a just settlement of the Palestinian issue. China fully agrees with this. Only by realizing the “two-state solution” and restoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people can the cycle of violence be broken and Palestine and Israel can live side by side and coexist peacefully.
We hope that Palestine and Israel will take the recent high-level contacts as an opportunity to continue to accumulate momentum, gradually rebuild mutual trust, and resume equal dialogue at an early date. We support countries in Egypt and other regions to play an important role in promoting reconciliation among Palestinians, and we call for strengthening the authority of the Palestinian National Authority and empowering it to exercise its sovereignty functions in security, finance and other fields. We urge countries with important influence to uphold an objective and fair stand and avoid partiality and double standards on the Palestinian issue. The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security and must take effective actions to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli issue. We reiterate that China welcomes the negotiators of Palestine and Israel to come to China for direct negotiations, and calls for the holding of an international peace conference led by the United Nations, with the participation of permanent members of the Security Council and various stakeholders in the Middle East peace process.
Mr.president,
China has been paying close attention to the humanitarian situation in Palestine and has taken concrete actions to support the Palestinian people in their fight against the epidemic. It has provided Palestine with humanitarian assistance such as emergency cash, anti-epidemic materials and vaccines on many occasions. It will also donate another 1 million doses of vaccines and join forces with Egypt. Aid 500,000 doses of vaccines to people in the Gaza Strip. We will also provide 200,000 doses of the new crown vaccine to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
As a sincere friend of Palestine, China supports Palestine’s just cause of fighting for national rights and the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. We will continue to work with all parties in the international community to promote the early realization of a comprehensive, reasonable and just settlement of the Palestinian issue.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.