In a statement to the UN Security Council Briefing on the Middle East on Tuesday, Ambassador Fu Cong condemned Israel’s targeting of “civilians and the civilian infrastructure”.
China’s envoy to the UN has urged the United States to “take sincere and responsible actions to push Israel to stop its military operations in Gaza as soon as possible and to stop slaughtering civilians.”
In a statement to the UN Security Council Briefing on the Middle East on Tuesday, Ambassador Fu Cong condemned Israel’s targeting of “civilians and the civilian infrastructure” saying “This is a red line under the international humanitarian law.”
China’s UN representative harshly condemned Israel for the massacre at Al-Tabaeenn school, killing over a hundred people, stating that attacking a school sheltering civilians is a red line under international humanitarian law. pic.twitter.com/u8goFDgJeX
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) August 14, 2024
He highlighted Saturday’s Israeli airstrike on the Al-Tabaeen school in central Gaza which killed over 100 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured dozens more.
“Attacking schools where a large number of civilians are seeking shelter again and again is a heinous act,” the ambassador said.
‘Nowhere Is Safe’
Over the past ten months, he stressed, “millions of people” in Gaza have seen their homes destroyed and their loved ones separated.
“They have been forced to move from place to place in search of a corner of peace, only to be met with indiscriminate bombardment and deaths that could befall them at any moment,” he said.
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“As we speak, nowhere is safe in Gaza. In Khan Yunis, a place once declared a so-called safe zone by Israel, people there have been forced to flee in the face of new bombing rains,” the ambassador emphasized.
An immediate and durable ceasefire is what the people of Gaza yearn for, he said.
‘Enough Influence’ by US
Two months ago, when pushing for Security Council Resolution 2735, “the US claimed” that Israel had accepted a ceasefire agreement, Fu noted.
“But the reality is quite the opposite. Instead of credible signs of Israel’s commitment to a ceasefire, what we see is ever-expanding military operations and ever-increasing civilian casualties,” he stressed.
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“The US, as the largest supplier of weapons, has enough influence over Israel,” Fu noted, adding “We hope that the US will take sincere and responsible actions to push Israel to stop its military operations in Gaza as soon as possible and to stop slaughtering civilians.”
The Chinese official expressed concern that the “fallout” of the Gaza conflict was “spreading ever faster,” and that the situation in the Middle East was “hanging in the balance.”
“We are deeply worried about this,” he said, noting that China will “work tirelessly” to end the situation in Gaza and achieve long-term peace and security in the region.
“China reiterates that the key to avoiding the deterioration and escalation of the situation lies in achieving a comprehensive and durable ceasefire in Gaza without delay.”
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‘Weaponizing Hunger’
Fu also raised concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza which “has continued to worsen.”
“Hunger must not be weaponized. Humanitarian issues must not be politicized. Civilian lives must not be trivialized as bargaining chips,” he stressed.
China, he noted, urges Israel to fulfill its international humanitarian law obligations by opening all border crossings and guaranteeing rapid and safe access to humanitarian supplies at scale.
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The World Health Organization is conducting a polio vaccination program for children in Gaza, which is crucial for stemming the spread of infectious diseases and protecting children’s health, Fu stated.
Israel, he continued, was “obliged to protect the safety and freedom of movement of the medical workers involved.”
Sexual Abuse
The ambassador also said the “increased of the situation in the West Bank is worrisome.”
“We are gravely concerned about the incidents of sexual abuse by Israeli soldiers against Palestinian detainees. We call for investigations and accountability,” he said.
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Five Israeli soldiers accused of sexually abusing a Palestinian from Gaza were released on Tuesday and placed on house arrest by an Israeli military court, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
China also urges Israel “to immediately cease all settlement activities, effectively curb the intensifying settler violence, and stop eroding the basis of the two-State solution.”
(The Palestine Chronicle)
