President,
I thank you for holding today’s emergency special session of the General Assembly. China voted in favor of the draft resolution.
It has already been 19 months since the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza. Over 55,000 people in Gaza have lost their lives. Over 2 million people are deeply trapped in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. The conflict has become a stain on human civilization. Last week, the 10 elected members of the Security Council put forth a draft resolution on the humanitarian issues in Gaza, which enjoyed the support of 14 Council members, yet was once again vetoed by the US. China finds this deeply disappointing and regrettable. The draft resolution of the GA just adopted reflects the overwhelming call of the international community, sends a strong political message, and embodies the solidarity and consensus among the overwhelming majority of member states.
We must not continue to allow innocent civilians to die. Israel continues to escalate its military offensive against Gaza, and each day, large numbers of innocent lives are lost. Whatever pretext will not make killing civilians noble or just. Cruel facts have already made it clear that force will not bring peace and prolonging the war will only lead to more deaths and hatred. An immediate and permanent ceasefire is the right way to save lives and to get the hostages home. We urge Israel to immediately stop all its military operations in Gaza. The country with significant influence on the party concerned should adopt an impartial and responsible attitude and take effective and strong actions.
We must not continue to allow the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza to worsen. The UN and other humanitarian agencies have sounded the alarm many times that large scale famine is imminent in Gaza. In contrast, outside the borders of Gaza, massive amounts of food are piled in warehouses, yet it is impossible to deliver them to the starving civilians. Such forced deprivation of the right of the people to subsistence supplies is in violation of international law. It is cruel and unacceptable. The UN has already pointed out that the mechanism for distributing humanitarian supplies promoted by the US and Israel goes against the principles of impartiality, independence, and neutrality, is inadequate for easing the humanitarian situation, and will instead put civilians in greater danger. China firmly opposes the weaponization of humanitarian aid and urges Israel to fulfill its obligations as the occupying power by immediately lifting the blockade on Gaza, fully restoring access to humanitarian supplies, and supporting the UN and other humanitarian agencies in carrying out their work.
We must not continue to allow the foundation of multilateralism to be eroded. Since the outbreak of the conflict, the General Assembly and the Security Council have adopted multiple resolutions requesting a ceasefire, and the ICJ has issued multiple orders on provisional measures, yet none of them has been effectively implemented. Full implementation of Security Council resolutions is an obligation for all member states under the UN Charter. Abiding by international law and international humanitarian law is a responsibility incumbent on all countries. The international community should take necessary actions to stop all violations of law and ensure accountability, so as to jointly uphold multilateralism and the authority of international law.
President,
Implementing the two-Sate solution is the only viable way out for the Palestinian question. Next week, there will be a high-level conference on the implementation of the two-State solution. We expect the conference to adopt practical and effective outcomes and to inject fresh momentum into the prospects of realizing the two-State solution. China will join efforts with the international community to continue to work for a ceasefire in Gaza, ease the humanitarian catastrophe, and ultimately achieve the comprehensive, just, and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question.
I thank you, President.