Israel should comply with its legal obligations: China Daily editorial

The newly adopted United Nations General Assembly resolution, demanding an end to Israel's "unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory" within 12 months, embodies the latest attempt of the international community to put an end to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and to pry open the Gordian knot of the Palestinian issue.

The nonbinding resolution also demands that Israel comply with all its legal obligations under international law, including the advisory opinions issued by the International Court of Justice.

As Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Tuesday ahead of the vote, "Ending the occupation is not an option, but a legal obligation for Israel".

He pointed out that the ICJ, in its advisory opinion issued on July 19, unequivocally concluded that Israel's continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territories is a violation of international law, and that Israel is under an obligation to immediately bring to an end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The overwhelming vote on Wednesday in favor of the Palestinian-drafted resolution — 124 votes in favor, with 43 countries abstaining, and 14 others voting against the motion — indicates the majority of countries support the just cause of the Palestinians.

That the US voted against the resolution along with Israel comes as no surprise. By vetoing UN resolutions and providing military assistance for Israel, the US has added to the gravity of the situation, dimmed the prospects for a resolution of the conflict and exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

Israel's onslaught against the Palestinians in Gaza is nearing its first anniversary with the Palestinian death toll surpassing 40,000, and attacks on the West Bank escalating. In his remarks, Fu also called on Israel to stop weaponizing hunger and politicizing humanitarian issues, as more than 2 million people are living in an "open-air prison" without adequate access to water, electricity, food, medication and fuel.

China is calling for continued efforts to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe, bring an end to the fighting, and implement the two-state solution that is the only redress for the historical injustice done to the Palestinian people and the only firm foundation for sustainable peace in the region.

The Israeli campaign, purportedly to eliminate Hamas, has also profoundly changed the security fabric in the Middle East with Israel now targeting opponents in all directions across the region.

Since Tuesday, Lebanon has been rocked with back-to-back attacks targeting communication devices used by Hezbollah. On Wednesday, walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon, killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 450. The day before, exploding pagers killed at least 12 people and wounded some 2,800.

Although Israel has not claimed responsibility for these unprecedented attacks, it is widely believed that the country's Mossad intelligence agency and its Ministry of Defense were behind them, and Israel was sending Hezbollah the message that it can strike against it wherever and whenever it wants.

To bring an end to the conflict and humanitarian crisis in Gaza and prevent the spillover effects of the conflict gaining further momentum, Israel must comply with relevant UNGA and UN Security Council resolutions, while major players in the region must exercise restraint, and Washington must stop being Tel Aviv's accomplice in its lawbreaking, and complicit in its inhuman acts.