Chinese envoy urges Israel to halt Gaza offensive, settlement expansion

China's permanent representative to the UN Fu Cong on Monday urged Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in Gaza and stop expanding settlements in the occupied West Bank, stressing that continued violence was eroding the basis for a two-state solution and deepening the region's humanitarian crisis.

Israel is determined to push forward its plan to take over Gaza City, resulting in large numbers of civilian casualties every day, Fu said during a UN Security Council meeting. 

"China reiterates that attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure are unacceptable, the weaponization of humanitarian supplies is unacceptable, and violations of international law and international humanitarian law are unacceptable."

He urged Israel to immediately cease all military operations in Gaza, fully fulfill its obligations as the occupying power, ensure the large-scale, rapid and safe delivery of humanitarian supplies, and support the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies in carrying out aid work.

"Israel's ongoing settlement expansion, its tolerance of settler violence, and the squeezing of Palestinian living space are eroding the foundation of the two-state solution," Fu said, adding that the dangerous attempt to annex the West Bank would completely undermine the prospects for a two-state solution and directly threaten stability in the Middle East.

He called on the international community to resist and oppose such actions, urging Israel to immediately halt settlement activities, curb settler violence, stop encroaching on West Bank territory and cease undermining the governance foundation of the Palestinian Authority.

Implementing the two-state solution is the only viable way to resolve the Palestinian issue, Fu said. "Nearly 80 years have passed since the founding of Israel, yet the Palestinian people still have no place to call home. This situation is unacceptable. The right of the Palestinian people to an independent state is an inalienable national right, not a privilege or reward to be granted."

China will continue working with the international community to help bring an early end to the fighting in Gaza, alleviate the humanitarian crisis, implement the two-state solution, and promote a comprehensive, just, and lasting resolution of the Palestinian issue, making ongoing contributions to peace and stability in the Middle East, he said.