Support for just settlement of Palestinian issue: China Daily editorial

Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is the crux for realizing lasting peace and stability in the Middle East. That means delivering the two-state solution which is the fundamental requirement for any lasting peace between the two sides. The root cause of the constant exacerbation of the situation is that the peace talks between them have stalled and implementation of the two-state solution has been delayed.

China has long been calling for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Palestinian issue through talks between the two sides. And it has sought to facilitate this by keeping its door open to welcome Palestinian and Israeli representatives to China for direct negotiations.

With the interruption of the talks between Palestine and Israel in 2014, the peace process has become stuck. But the China-brokered rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran has brightened the prospects for the Middle East, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' visit to China this week has garnered much attention as it has raised hopes that there will be fresh impetus to restart the talks aimed at realizing a historic accord whereby Israel and Palestine can coexist peacefully.

President Xi Jinping, in his meeting with Abbas on Wednesday, stressed the need for the peace process to adhere to the correct direction, saying that the fundamental way to resolve the Palestinian issue lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state enjoying full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

With the China-proposed Global Security Initiative gaining increasing support in the international community, it offers a blueprint for creating the conditions conducive to the resumption of talks to restart the long-stagnant peace process.

The international community should act with a sense of urgency, prioritize the Palestinian issue on the international agenda, and promote the convening of a larger, more authoritative and influential international peace conference to encourage Israel and Palestine to reach a just settlement of the Palestinian issue on the basis of the two-state solution at an early date.

Decades of confrontation have brought untold sufferings to both sides. The two parties should refrain from incitements and provocations, and all countries should refrain from taking actions that may lead to the deterioration of the situation.

In this regard, the United States in particular should not sabotage any progress that is made in the peace progress. Its long-time, one-sided, unconditional support for Israel has been a key factor in the two-state solution not being implemented. With the changing dynamics in the Middle East, it should give talks a chance. After all, it too would be a likely beneficiary of peace in the Middle East.