'Israel has right to statehood, so does Palestine'
The Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen said today that Palestine, like Israel, has a right to statehood, and the root cause of the onoing conflict in the Middle East was the the failure to redress the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people.
Ambassador Yao noted that regarding the latest round of the conflict, China believes that it is a top priority to make all efforts to stop the fighting as soon as possible, prevent it from spreading endlessly and avoid further deterioration of the situation, said a press release issued by the Chinese embassy in Dhaka.
In the meantime, it is imperative to observe the international humanitarian law, make every effort to ensure the safety of civilians, open up a humanitarian rescue and assistance passage as quickly as possible, and prevent a severe humanitarian disaster, he said.
The statement was issued after Yao met Palestinian Ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef Ramadan, during which they exchanged views on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
He said the question of Palestine is at the heart of the Middle East issue and a wound that keeps being torn open in today's world. The root cause of this question lies in the long delay in realising the dream of an independent State of Palestine and the failure to redress the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people.
Israel has the right to statehood, so does Palestine, he said.
The Israelis have obtained the safeguards for survival, but who will care about the survival of the Palestinians? The Jewish nation is no longer homeless in the world, but when will the Palestinian nation return to its home? There is no shortage of injustices in the world, but the injustice to Palestine has dragged on for over half a century. The sufferings that plagued generations must not continue, he said.
The answer to the question is the two-state solution and an independent State of Palestine. This is how Palestine and Israel could coexist in peace and how the Arabs and Jews could live in harmony. Only when the two-state solution is fully implemented can the Middle East truly enjoy peace and Israel enjoy lasting security. The right way to advance the two-state solution is to resume peace talks as soon as possible. All mechanisms for peace must play a positive role.
Ambassador Yao stressed that on the question of Palestine, China will continue to stand on the side of peace, on the side of justice, on the side of international law, on the side of shared aspirations of the majority of countries in the world, and on the side of human conscience.
The UN should play its due role in resolving the question of Palestine, he said, adding that the UN Security Council needs to shoulder important responsibilities for this, build international consensus as quickly as possible and take real measures to that end.
Terming protection of civilians in armed conflict as a red line under international humanitarian law, he said the indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable, and neither Palestinian nor Israeli civilians should be targeted.
The special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East Issue will soon visit relevant countries in the region and make active efforts to facilitate a cessation of violence and de-escalate the situation, he added.
Israel declared war on the Islamist group last Sunday, a day after waves of fighters broke through the heavily fortified border and shot, stabbed and burned to death more than 1,400, Israeli civilians.
Seven days of relentless bombing targeting those who masterminded the attack have left more than 2,700 people dead, the majority ordinary Palestinians.
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