China Calls for Cessation of Hostilities in Gaza

On Monday, Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Friday adopted by an overwhelming majority a resolution calling for an immediate and durable humanitarian truce, which has pointed in the right direction, said Zhang.

China solemnly calls on the parties to the conflict to cease all hostilities, disengage immediately, put in place a humanitarian truce, and make every effort to prevent the situation from escalating further, he said.

China solemnly calls on Israel, as the occupying power, to fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law, lift its full siege on Gaza, immediately rescind its emergency evacuation order, and expeditiously restore the supply of basic necessities to prevent an even larger humanitarian disaster, the envoy added.

China also calls for greater diplomatic efforts to facilitate the release of hostages without delay and to work on this basis to open space for dialogue, so as to return to the track of a political settlement, he said.

China calls on a certain major country with special influence on the parties concerned to put aside its self-interests and geopolitical considerations and make every effort to stop the war and restore peace, he said.

The decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict has shown that military means is not the solution. Absolute security cannot be achieved by imposing collective punishment on civilians, said Zhang.

"We call on the parties to the conflict to abandon their blind faith in the use of force and to commit themselves to breaking the cycle of violence and achieving common security," he added.

The council has so far held several meetings on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, he said, adding China once again calls on the council to strengthen unity, build consensus, and take responsible and meaningful actions as soon as possible.