President congratulates UN meeting to mark solidarity with Palestinians

Israeli soldiers walk past Palestinians fleeing the north along the Salaheddine road in the Zeitoun district on the southern outskirts of Gaza City on Nov 28, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

Chinese President Xi Jinping extended congratulations to a UN meeting held on Nov 29 to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. 

In his message, Xi said that the bitter lessons of the cycle of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict fully demonstrate that only by upholding the concept of common security can sustainable security be achieved. 

The Palestinian question is at the heart of the Middle East issue, and the crux of the Palestine-Israel conflict lies in the long overdue realization of the legitimate national right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state, he said. 

Xi called on the international community to take urgent actions to address the Palestine-Israel conflict and urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to shoulder its responsibilities and make every effort to facilitate a cease-fire, ensure the safety of civilians, and stop the humanitarian disaster. 

On top of this, the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks should be restarted as soon as possible and the Palestinian people’s right to statehood and survival and their right of return should be restored as soon as possible, Xi said. 

China has, as always, firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, he said. The only viable way to settle the Palestinian question lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state that enjoys full sovereignty based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital. 

The needs of the Palestinian economy and people’s livelihood need to be ensured, and the international community should increase development assistance and humanitarian aid to Palestine, stay on the right course toward peace talks, and convene a more authoritative international peace conference as soon as possible, he said. 

China has put forward the Global Security Initiative, advocates resolving differences and disputes between countries through dialogue and consultation, and supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis, Xi said, pledging China’s continuous efforts to stand for justice on the Palestinian question, actively promote peace talks and provide humanitarian and development assistance to the Palestinian side. 

Xi said that China, as a permanent member of the UNSC, will continue to work with the international community to build global consensus on promoting peace, bring the Palestinian question back to the right track toward the two-state solution, and strive for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement at an early date. 

On the question of Palestine, China has always stood firmly on the side of peace, human conscience, and international law, and has supported the United Nations and the secretary-general in playing a unique and irreplaceable role in resolving the conflict, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Nov 28.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks while meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the UN headquarters in New York.

Resolution 2712, the first resolution adopted by the UNSC after the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out on Oct 7, “has promoted initial steps for a cease-fire and is a good start to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through political means”, Wang was quoted by Xinhua as saying.

He emphasized that the key now is whether the temporary cease-fire agreement can be extended and whether fighting will resume in Gaza.

“The war must not be rekindled,” Wang said. A comprehensive cease-fire should be realized to avoid further humanitarian disasters, and detainees should be freed.

Humanitarian supplies should be allowed to enter Gaza without hindrance, he said.

The “two-state solution” should be relaunched as soon as possible, which is the greatest common denominator of the international community and the fundamental way out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Wang said.

On Nov 30, Hamas and Israel released more hostages and prisoners under the terms of a truce.

With a total of 97 Hamas hostages and 210 Palestinian prisoners released under the agreement, Qatari mediators said they were working on a “sustainable “cease-fire. 

The truce was due to end on Nov 30 after a final sixth exchange in the early hours. 

Zhang Minlu at the United Nations and agencies contributed to this story.