A UN meeting is held on November 26 to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Photo: UN website

 
Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent congratulations to a UN meeting held on Tuesday to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Noting that the question of Palestine is at the heart of the Middle East issue and concerns international fairness and justice, Xi said the pressing task is to comprehensively and effectively implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions to end the war as soon as possible and ease the regional situation.

In 1977, the General Assembly called for the annual observance of 29 November as International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. On that day in 1947, the Assembly adopted the resolution on the partition of Palestine, according to the UN website.

Xi has sent congratulatory messages to the UN meeting in observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People for 12 consecutive years. 

The fundamental way out is to implement the two-State solution and promote the political settlement of the question of Palestine, establish an independent Palestinian state enjoying full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and ensure the right of the Palestinian people to statehood, their right to existence and their right of return, Xi said.

Xi stressed that China has always been a staunch supporter of the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, and has always supported all Palestinian factions in strengthening unity and implementing the Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity to realize internal reconciliation.

China firmly supports Palestine in becoming a full UN member and supports the convening of a more broad-based, more authoritative and more effective international peace conference, Xi added.

Xi said that China will continue to work with the international community to end the war and stop the killing, support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in continuing to provide humanitarian assistance to the Gaza people, and bring the question of Palestine back to the right track of the two-State solution to achieve a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement at an early date.

Wang Jin, an associate professor at the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at Northwest University in Xi'an, told the Global Times on Tuesday that this demonstrates China's firm and consistent support for the Palestinian people's just cause and also shows China's responsibility to uphold justice and fairness in international hot spot issues. 

"Chinese people have always been good friends and good partners of the Palestinian people, and our consistent stance on justice has widely won praise and support from the Arab world and the whole international community," Wang said

"The Middle East is still mired in conflict and bloodshed, so the voice from China, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a country with international influence, will greatly contribute to international efforts to mediate the conflict and call for a cease-fire. It will boost the confidence of the international community to attain a two-State solution to the Palestine-Israel issue," Wang noted. 

According to the Xinhua News Agency, Office of the People's Republic of China to the State of Palestine, through the Palestinian Mahmoud Abbas Foundation, organized a ceremony on Monday to distribute winter supplies to children in two refugee camps in Tulkarm, in the West Bank.

More efforts needed

According to AP, Israel and Lebanon-based Hezbollah militants began a ceasefire Wednesday in a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting as a region on edge wondered whether it will hold. The ceasefire began at 4 am Wednesday, a day after Israel carried out its most intense wave of strikes in Beirut since the start of the conflict. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities.

In response to the Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire agreement, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that China is closely following the current situation between Lebanon and Israel, and has always been calling on all parties to earnestly abide by UN Security Council Resolution 1701. We support all efforts conducive to deescalating the tensions and realizing peace, and welcome the ceasefire agreement reached by relevant sides.

In the meanwhile, China believes that the protracted fighting in Gaza is the root cause of this round of turmoil in the Middle East, and all parties need to work together to realize a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Gaza at an early date, Mao said.

The current situation in the Middle East remains concerning as conflicts have already escalated from the Gaza Strip to the Lebanon-Israel border, as well as other parts of the region, and hopes of a cease-fire are still fragile and uncertain, observers noted

"Last Wednesday, because of the single use of veto by the US, the Council's efforts for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza suffered another setback," Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, said at the UN Security Council Briefing on the situation in the Middle East on Monday. 

"The Gaza conflict is the biggest stress test the United Nations has ever faced in the Middle East. In our view, this stress test is first and foremost a test for Council members. It tests our ability to save lives and maintain peace. It tests our determination to uphold international rule of law and fairness and justice. It tests our willingness to safeguard the authority of the Council's mechanisms and resolutions," Fu said.

Calling for more actions, Fu added: "So far, due to the negative attitude of some country, the Council's past performance did not pass the test. We call on the individual country to face up squarely to its responsibilities and support the Council in using all options in its toolbox to take further actions to achieve an immediate ceasefire and restore peace."