Palestine question should not be sidelined: Chinese envoy

UNITED NATIONS - As the question of Palestine always lies at the heart of the Middle East issue, it should not be sidelined, let alone forgotten, regardless of the evolution of the international situation, said a Chinese envoy on Monday.

On this matter, what is lacking is not a grand and fair plan, but rather the courage for action. The fundamental reason for repeated escalation is that the legitimate national rights of the Palestinians have not been realized and the two-state solution has not been put into practice, said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

Recently, Palestinian-Israeli tensions have witnessed a new round of escalation. China condemns all attacks against civilians and opposes all violations of the historic status quo of religious holy sites, he told a Security Council meeting.

"The security of Israel and Palestine is interdependent and indivisible. If one side's security is established at the expense of the other side's security, it is impossible to break the cycle of violence or resolve the security conundrum," he said. "Only by upholding the common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security concept, can peaceful co-existence be realized."

China calls on all parties, in particular Israel, to exercise restraint, and prevent the situation from escalating further or even going out of control, he said.

China supports continued communication between UN Special Coordinator Tor Wennesland and Israel, Palestine, and other parties to push for de-escalation. China supports the Arab League and Arab countries in playing their active roles. The Security Council should take very seriously the current situation and the call of Arab states, and take urgent actions and speak with one voice, thus playing its due role, said Zhang.

Settlements break the contiguity of occupied territories, squeeze the living space of the Palestinian people, and jeopardize the prospects of realizing a two-state solution. China urges Israel to stop the demolitions of Palestinian homes, stop the evictions of Palestinians, stop the expansion of settlements, and to create conditions for the development of Palestinian communities in the West Bank, he said.

China hopes that Palestine and Israel can continue their high-level engagement for an earlier relaunch of dialogue on an equal footing. China calls on the international community to make great efforts based on relevant UN resolutions and international consensus, such as the land-for-peace principle, so as to advance the Middle East peace process, he said.

China supports the establishment of a fully sovereign and independent state of Palestine based on the 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital, supports the peaceful co-existence of Palestine and Israel and the common development of the Arab people and the Jewish people. Along with the international community, China will continue its tireless efforts toward a comprehensive and just solution, he said.