Chinese envoy urges Israel to stop weaponizing humanitarian assistance

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, urged Israel on Wednesday to stop weaponizing humanitarian assistance, lift the blockade of Gaza and the restrictions on humanitarian access, and cooperate fully with the UN and other humanitarian agencies.

In remarks at the UN Security Council briefing on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Fu said the Gaza conflict and the situation in the Middle East have been at the forefront of the council's work since October last year, but the situation has not improved so far, and "instead, it has continued to deteriorate."

"The authority of international law seems to exist in name only for certain states, and the bottom line of international humanitarian law has been repeatedly shattered," he lamented.

Fu stressed, "We cannot accept that death and hunger have become the new normal in Gaza."

Underscoring that humanitarian aid is the hope for survival for the people in Gaza, the ambassador said the role of UNRWA, the UN relief agency for Palestinians, is indispensable and irreplaceable. "China firmly opposes Israel's smearing and suppression of UNRWA, and is gravely concerned about the relevant Knesset bills targeting the agency."

He said the international community cannot allow the conflict to drag on and expand, and cannot "just sit back and watch the entire Middle East plunging into an all-out war."

"The harsh reality has proved that winning a war does not necessarily mean having peace, military might alone cannot guarantee lasting security, and the obsession with force only creates more killings and hatred," Fu pointed out, urging Israel to cease all military operations in Gaza and put an end to the collective punishment of the people in Gaza.

He said the intensified settlement activities and violence in the West Bank were a de-facto obliteration of the foundation of the two-State solution, and must stop immediately.

"Lebanon must not become the next Gaza," he said, adding that China calls on all parties to exercise restraint and achieve a ceasefire, and urges Israel in particular to stop taking actions that would further escalate the situation.