Chinese envoy calls for efforts to advance two-state solution

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Monday called on the international community to advance the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Palestinian-Israeli question has been on the UN agenda for over seven decades. Each day of inaction by the international community is a disservice to peace, a betrayal of justice, and a failure to the next generation, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

"We call on all parties to show their conscience to uphold justice and fulfill their commitments with actions. We hope that the United Nations and the Security Council will take substantive steps to advance the two-state solution, and support the Palestinian people in restoring and exercising their inalienable rights so that Palestine and Israel can coexist in peace, the two peoples -- Arabs and Jews -- can live in harmony, and lasting peace can be achieved in the Middle East," he told a Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

China supports the full implementation of the two-state solution. The historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people cannot be prolonged indefinitely. Their legitimate national rights cannot be traded. And their demand for independent statehood cannot be vetoed. The international community should stay committed and work together to translate the two-state solution from consensus into action and from vision into reality, he said.

China is in favor of strengthening the authority of the Palestinian National Authority, supports greater unity among Palestinian factions, and welcomes the important progress made by Arab countries in promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation, said Zhang.

China is in favor of putting the Palestine question high on the international agenda, supports the resumption of Palestinian-Israeli peace talks as soon as possible on the basis of the two-state solution, and calls for the convening of a larger scale, more authoritative, and more influential international peace conference, he said.

Zhang said China encourages Palestine and Israel to pursue common security.

The year 2022 has been the deadliest for the Palestinians in the West Bank since 2005. Attacks on Israeli civilians also hit a record high since 2015. China condemns all indiscriminate attacks against civilians, condemns serious violations against children, opposes the excessive use of force by security forces, and calls for investigations to ensure accountability. The occupying power should effectively fulfill its obligations under international law to ensure the security of the population in the occupied territory, he said.

Palestine and Israel are inseparable neighbors with indivisible security. The international community should pay equal attention to the legitimate security concerns of both sides, encourage cooperation between the two to achieve common security through political dialogue and peace talks, and break the vicious cycle of violence, said Zhang.

The expansion of Israeli settlement activities encroaches on Palestinian land and resources, squeezes the living space of the Palestinian people, and violates the Palestinian right to self-determination, making a contiguous, independent, and sovereign Palestinian state even more elusive, he said.

China urges Israel to comply with its obligations under Security Council resolutions and cease all settlement activities, including the demolition of Palestinian homes, stop unilateral changes to the status quo in the occupied territory, and return to the right track of the two-state solution, he said.

China supports the improvement of the Palestinian economy and people's livelihood, said Zhang.

The decades-old occupation and frequent conflict and turmoil have severely constrained Palestinian economic and social development, and continue to aggravate the plight of the Palestinian people, he said. "We call on Israel to ease unreasonable restrictions on the movement of people and goods and the use of land in the occupied territory, create conditions for the development of Palestinian communities in the West Bank, and lift the blockade of Gaza as soon as possible."

The international community should provide assistance to Palestine through multiple channels to help ease its financial crisis and guarantee public services, he added.

China always cares about the Palestinian people, he said, adding that China will continue to provide humanitarian assistance, support the implementation of livelihood projects, and increase contribution to the UN agency for Palestine refugees.