China calls for cease-fire in Middle East

China's top envoy to the United Nations on Monday called for an immediate cease-fire in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to prevent it from escalating and also condemned actions that harm civilians or violate international law.

"China is deeply concerned about the continued escalation of the new round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which has led to large-scale civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis and whose spillover effects are also affecting regional peace and stability," said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN.

"We condemn all acts that harm civilians and oppose any violation of international law. We support the responsible role of the Security Council and all efforts aimed at de-escalating the conflict and restoring peace and we welcome any initiative that is conducive to the protection of civilians and the alleviation of humanitarian crises," Zhang said at a UN Security Council meeting on a draft resolution on the situation in Palestine and Israel.

The UN Security Council on Monday rejected a Russian-drafted resolution that would have called for "an immediate, durable and fully respected humanitarian cease-fire" and "strongly condemns all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorism".

Five Security Council members voted in favor of the draft resolution, four members voted against it, and six members abstained. The resolution did not secure the necessary nine votes in the 15-member body, leading to its failure.

"The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security and should play its due role in resolving the current crisis. The international community also generally expects the council to forge a consensus and come up with practical initiatives as soon as possible," said Zhang.

"Russia has proposed a draft resolution that reflects the general direction of focusing on humanitarian concerns and the protection of civilians," he said. "We greatly regret that the Security Council was unable to reach agreement on it. Humanitarian issues should not be politicized, and the protection of civilians should be a priority for all parties.

"When the council has dealt with complex issues in the past, the humanitarian sphere has often been the starting point. Conflicts are still spreading, and suffering continues. The council should not abandon its efforts in that regard," the envoy said.

Regarding the current situation, Zhang said, "China calls for a cease-fire and an end to the fighting as soon as possible in order to prevent the fighting from spreading indefinitely and to avoid further deterioration of the situation."

Zhang emphasized that military means are "not the way out, and responding to violence with violence will only lead to an endless vicious circle".

"China calls on the countries concerned to be objective and impartial, to put the brakes on large-scale conflicts and humanitarian disasters, and to avoid further impacts on regional and international security," he said.

"China calls for compliance with international humanitarian law and for all efforts to be made to ensure the safety of civilians," the envoy said.

Zhang said the protection of civilians in armed conflict is a red line under international humanitarian law.

"Civilians should not be the target of military operations; the indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable; and the maintenance of one's own security cannot be achieved at the expense of innocent civilians," he said.

The safety of UN staff and humanitarian workers should be guaranteed, Zhang added. "China supported the use of diplomatic mediation to secure the early release of detainees," he said.

"We are gravely concerned about the consequences of Israel's total blockade and its ordering of an emergency evacuation of the population in the north, and we hope that Israel will listen to the voices of the international community, resume the supply of water, electricity and fuel to Gaza, and stop the collective punishment of the population of Gaza," he said.

"We support the opening of a humanitarian corridor as soon as possible to ensure the smooth and timely delivery of food, medicine and humanitarian relief supplies. We appreciate the efforts being made by Egypt and other countries concerned," Zhang said.

"At the same time, China calls on the international community to increase its input and support the continued work of UN humanitarian agencies in Gaza. China will provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip through the United Nations and bilateral channels," he said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has emphasized that the fundamental way to resolve the question of Palestine lies in the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, said Zhang.

"History has repeatedly proved that the fundamental reason for the repeated instability in the Palestinian-Israeli situation is that the basis of the two-state solution has been continuously eroded, the Middle East peace process has been diverted from the right track, and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations have not been effectively implemented," Zhang said.

Zhang called on the international community to go beyond piecemeal crisis management, adhere to the fundamental direction of the two-state solution and make greater efforts to reach a comprehensive and lasting solution to the conflict.