China joins call in UN for international action; six journalists killed in strike 

China has joined the voices of United Nations leaders and most UN Security Council nations, urging the international community to take all necessary actions before a greater disaster unfolds in Palestine, given the urgency at hand.

Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the UN, said, “Any attempt to occupy Gaza must be firmly opposed.”

Fu made the remarks on Aug 10 at a rare weekend emergency meeting in New York on the Palestine-Israel issue. The meeting was initiated by the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Greece and Slovenia.

“The recent approval by Israel’s security cabinet of a plan to take over Gaza is a matter of grave concern. We urge Israel to stop this dangerous move at once. Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people,” he added.

Fu said the illusion of military supremacy must be abandoned and the humanitarian disaster in Gaza must be alleviated. “The lives of 2 million Gazans must not be the sacrifice of the war,” he said. “The weaponization of humanitarian supplies is unacceptable. The collective punishment of the Gazan people is unacceptable. Attacking civilians and humanitarian workers as they search for supplies is equally unacceptable.”

The Chinese envoy urged Israel to fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law as an occupying power, open all border crossings, lift restrictions on aid access, ensure the large-scale, swift and safe entry of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, and support the UN in its aid delivery in accordance with humanitarian principles.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Aug 7 that he was “gravely alarmed” by the decision of the Israeli government to “take control of Gaza City”.

Miroslav Jenca, UN assistant secretary-general for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas, warned on Aug 10 that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for Gaza “is yet another dangerous escalation of the conflict”.

At the Security Council meeting, delegates from all participating countries except the United States rejected Israel’s plan, urging Israel to reverse its decision.

Riyad Mansour, permanent observer for the State of Palestine to the UN, said that Israel “is prolonging the war not to disarm Hamas, but to prevent independent Palestinian statehood”.

Ramesh Rajasingham, head of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva, Switzerland, said in a briefing to the Security Council that a “grim milestone” has been crossed in the humanitarian community.

After the meeting, Israeli forces targeted and killed five Al Jazeera staff, including renowned journalist Anas al-Sharif, in a media tent in Gaza City. A sixth journalist, who is a local freelance reporter, was also killed in the airstrike. Israeli forces again alleged that al-Sharif was connected with Hamas, which Al Jazeera has denied.

Abdalfatah Asqool, a former international law lecturer at the University of Palestine in the Gaza Strip, said the Israeli decision to expand the military operations in Gaza “came as a result of the silence of the international community.

Belal Alakhras, a political analyst and researcher at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, said, “The alarming reality is that Israeli contempt appears normal, as it can act however it wants without facing any real consequences or accountability.”

Meanwhile, Australia on Aug 10 said it will officially recognize the State of Palestine, joining the leaders of France, Britain and Canada in signaling that they would do so.

Xin Xin in Sydney contributed to this story.

Contact the writer at jan@chinadailyapac.com