China affirms its support for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state

New York, (ST) – China reiterated its support for the establishment of an independent and fully sovereign state of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders.

Xinhua News Agency quoted Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, as saying at a Security Council meeting yesterday that, since the Palestinian issue has always been at the heart of the Middle East issue, it should not be marginalized. He indicated that the main reason for the repeated escalation is that the legitimate national rights of the Palestinians have not been achieved.

Zhang called on the occupation entity to stop settlement activity, stressing that the Israeli settlements break the geographical continuity of the occupied lands and put pressure on the Palestinian people’s livelihood.

He also said that, “China urges what is called “Israel” to stop demolishing Palestinian homes, stop evictions, end settlement expansion and create conditions for the development of Palestinian communities in the occupied West Bank.”

Zhang expressed “China’s support for the establishment of an independent and fully sovereign state of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders, with East Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital.”  He stressed that his country will continue efforts in cooperation with the international community to reach a comprehensive and just solution.

Raghda Sawas