Chinese envoy urges Israel to abandon illusion of complete military victory

UNITED NATIONS -- A Chinese envoy on Thursday urged Israel to abandon its reliance on the use of force and the illusion of seeking a complete military victory in Gaza and cease infringements on Lebanon's sovereignty and security.

At the UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said the spillover effects from the continued fighting in Gaza are manifesting at a greater pace, and Lebanon and Israel are on the verge of all-out conflict, imperiling peace and stability of the entire Middle East.

"China urges Israel to abandon its obsession with the use of force and its illusion of seeking a complete military victory, immediately end its military operations in Gaza, cease infringements on Lebanon's sovereignty and security, and stop any risk-taking that might plunge the region into another catastrophe," he said.

Describing the resolution tabled by Palestine and adopted by the UN General Assembly Emergency Special Session on Wednesday as "a historic landmark," Geng said the resolution demands Israel end its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian Territory, urges all parties to stop arming Israel in its maintenance of the occupation, reaffirms that international rule of law must be upheld, and calls for the accelerated implementation of a two-state solution.

He said the resolution embodies the broad consensus of the international community to "uphold justice and realize peace in the Middle East."

The envoy noted that Israel's actions over the past few decades, including the continued expansion of settlements and squeezing the space and viability of Palestine as a state, continue to erode the foundation of the two-state solution.

He urged the international community to urgently act to revitalize the possibility of a two-state solution.

The ambassador stated that the Security Council, despite calls from the international community, has been unable to take decisive actions to resolve the Palestinian question or stop the nearly one-year-old Gaza conflict due to the negative attitude of one individual country.

Geng said that more than three months ago, when pushing for the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2735, the United States claimed that Israel had accepted the ceasefire deal, but "for more than three months, we have borne witness instead to the constantly intensifying Israeli military operations, mounting number of conditions for negotiations, and escalating provocations."

"Not a single moment should be wasted in the quest for a lasting ceasefire and easing of humanitarian catastrophe," he said, noting that the United States instead has repeatedly asked for more time and patience while Gazans continue to die and suffer.

"How come the time and patience needed by the United States are so costly?" the envoy asked. He added that China supports the Security Council in using all available options in its toolbox to promote the implementation of resolutions, end the conflict, and realize peace in the Middle East.