China speaks up for peace, justice at BRICS summit on Palestinian-Israeli issue

Leaders of BRICS countries gathered on Tuesday for an extraordinary virtual summit on the Palestinian-Israeli issue. 

Speaking at the summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an immediate ceasefire as the first step to realizing lasting peace and security.

Prevent humanitarian disaster

The parties to the conflict must end hostilities and achieve a ceasefire immediately, stop all violence and attacks against civilians, as well as release civilians held captive, Xi underscored.

Humanitarian corridors must be kept secure and unimpeded, and more humanitarian assistance should be provided to the population in Gaza, Xi said.

The collective punishment of people in Gaza in the form of forced transfers or the deprivation of water, electricity and fuel must stop, said Xi.

He urged the international community to act with practical measures to prevent the conflict from spilling over and endangering stability in the Middle East. 

To help alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, China has provided $2 million of emergency humanitarian assistance through the Palestinian National Authority and United Nations (UN) agencies, and emergency humanitarian supplies worth 15 million yuan ($2.1 million), such as food and medicine, to the Gaza Strip with the help of Egypt.

China will provide more supplies and assistance according to the needs of the people in Gaza, Xi said at the summit.

China's peace efforts

Since the outbreak of the latest Palestinian-Israeli conflict, China has been working actively to promote peace talks and a ceasefire, Xi said.

As the rotating president of the UN Security Council this month, China has taken active actions to build consensus and push the Security Council to take further meaningful action on the situation in Gaza.

On November 15, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2712, calling for urgent and extended humanitarian pauses and corridors throughout the Gaza Strip "for a sufficient number of days." The resolution was the first product of the Security Council on Gaza after the conflict escalated on October 7.

A joint delegation of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia and Palestine, and the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, are on a two-day visit to China, which began on November 20.

The delegation has chosen China as the first leg of a tour to push for an end to hostilities between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

The foreign ministers of Arab and Islamic countries spoke highly of China's long-standing just position on the question of Palestine and expect China to play a greater role in ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, resolving relevant issues and achieving fairness and justice.

"There can be no sustainable peace and security in the Middle East without a just solution to the question of Palestine," Xi said on Tuesday.