China: The United States should show a responsible attitude and respect the Security Council members’ consensus on Gaza

China reiterated its criticism of the use of veto by the United States to block the draft resolution (ceasefire in Gaza) in the UN Security Council and called on it to show a responsible attitude and respect the Council’s consensus on this.

“The veto that Washington used last Tuesday against a resolution drafted by Algeria means that the Security Council missed another opportunity to press for a ceasefire in Gaza,” Xinhua quoted China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun as saying in front of the Security Council, warning that the continuation of this situation will cause more civilian casualties and lead to an even greater catastrophe.

“Achieving an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is an urgent step to save innocent lives and prevent the outbreak of a wider war.  It represents the common desire expressed by the international community, as well as the overwhelming consensus of the Security Council on this resolution,” Zhang added.

The Chinese delegate called for an end to the Israeli aggression on the city of Rafah, where more than 1.5 million Gazans are crowded and have nowhere else to go. He said: “the escalating Israeli military incursions in Rafah will lead to unimaginable civilian casualties and humanitarian disasters and will cause irreparable damage to regional peace… China, for its part, strongly opposes this,” he said.

The Chinese delegate renewed the call for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, stressing that this matter is not a gift given by one party to another in charity, but is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people, and “Israel” should stop undermining efforts in this direction and stop the forced displacement of Palestinians, detentions and raids in the West Bank.

China supports Palestine to become a member of the United Nations as soon as possible, and calls for a broader, more reliable and more effective international peace conference to push for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue, Zhang said.

Amal Farhat