China stressed the urgent need to end the tragedy in Gaza, ease tensions in the West Bank, address the historical injustices suffered by Palestine and safeguard peace and stability in the Middle East, a Chinese envoy said Tuesday at a UN Security Council meeting on the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian question.
“The Middle East once again stands at a historical crossroads. Choosing between easing tensions and confrontation, dialogue and conflict, is a responsibility that regional countries and the international community must shoulder together,” said Geng Shuang, China’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, adding that China has always upheld fairness and justice on the Palestinian question and firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on the first day of the general debate that “in Gaza, the horrors are approaching a third monstrous year,” highlighting “a scale of death and destruction beyond any other conflict” in his years as secretary-general.
Guterres called for the full and immediate implementation of the International Court of Justice measures, a permanent ceasefire, the release of all hostages and humanitarian access, adding that “we must not relent in the only viable answer to sustainable Middle East peace: a two-state solution.”
Recognizing the State of Palestine is an act of supporting the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, not a gift but a legitimate right, said Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of the State of Palestine to the UN. He stressed that Palestinians should not and will not be forced to live under occupation forever, just as Israelis should not and need not live in a perpetual state of war.
