BRICS countries speak up for justice, peace on Palestinian-Israeli issue

By He Yin, People’s Daily

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov. 21 attended the BRICS extraordinary virtual summit on the Palestinian-Israeli issue and delivered an important speech.

Explaining China’s position on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, he pointed out that it’s urgent and imperative to end hostilities and achieve a ceasefire immediately, keep humanitarian corridors secure and unimpeded and prevent the conflict from spilling over. He stressed that the only viable way to break the cycle of Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the two-state solution.

His remarks addressed both immediate and long-term priorities and identifies the direction of effectively solving the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

The virtual summit was the first summit since the enlargement of BRICS, and an important meeting convened by the BRICS countries at a critical moment of escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

The BRICS cooperation mechanism is an important platform for emerging markets and developing countries to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and safeguard common interests. It always focuses on promoting world peace and development and addresses major international issues based on their merits, making fair remarks and taking fair actions, and bringing to the world more certainty, stability and positive energy.

As Xi pointed out, given the current circumstances, it is very timely and very important that BRICS countries meet and speak up for justice and for peace on the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

Xi noted that the parties to the conflict must end hostilities and achieve a ceasefire immediately, stop all violence and attacks against civilians, release civilians held captive, and act to prevent loss of more lives and spare people from more miseries.

He stressed that humanitarian corridors must be kept secure and unimpeded, and more humanitarian assistance should be provided to the population in Gaza. The collective punishment of people in Gaza in the form of forced transfer or water, electricity and fuel deprivation must stop.

Besides, the international community must act with practical measures to prevent the conflict from spilling over and endangering stability in the Middle East as a whole, he added.

These Chinese proposals are highly targeted and constructive, aligning with the common aspirations of the majority of countries and reflecting the unanimous call of peace-loving people worldwide.

The Palestinian issue has always been at the core of the Middle East problem. Without a just resolution to the Palestinian issue, there would be no lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.

Xi has emphasized on many occasions that the only viable way to break the cycle of Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the two-state solution, in the restoration of the legitimate national rights of Palestine, and in the establishment of an independent State of Palestine.

The root cause of the Palestinian-Israeli situation is the fact that the right of the Palestinian people to statehood, their right to existence, and their right of return have long been ignored. The historical injustices done to the Palestinian people should not be left unattended indefinitely. The legitimate rights and interests of a nation are not up for trade, and the demand to establish an independent state shall not be denied.

China calls for early convening of an international peace conference that is more authoritative to build international consensus for peace and work toward an early solution to the question of Palestine that is comprehensive, just and sustainable.

Since the outbreak of the latest Palestinian-Israeli conflict, China has been working actively to promote peace talks and a ceasefire. The fact that the delegation of Arab-Islamic foreign ministers made China its first stop for international mediation reflected their trust in China and the tradition of mutual understanding and support between the two sides.

At the UN Security Council, China has acted in its capacity as president to facilitate the adoption of the resolution, which calls for extended humanitarian pauses and corridors, the protection of civilians, and the provision of humanitarian assistance.

The international community highly praised China for consistently upholding a fair position on the Palestinian issue and commended China’s role as the rotating president of the UN Security Council in pushing for the adoption of the first resolution since the outbreak of the latest Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

China has provided humanitarian assistance to help ease the humanitarian plight in Gaza. This includes $2 million of emergency humanitarian assistance provided through the Palestinian National Authority and UN agencies, and emergency humanitarian supplies worth 15 million yuan ($2.11 million), such as food and medicine, to the Gaza Strip with the help of Egypt. China will provide more supplies and assistance according to the needs of the people in Gaza.

The BRICS virtual meeting to coordinate positions and actions on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict marked a good start for greater BRICS cooperation following its enlargement. As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, China will continue to maintain close communication with relevant parties, and make utmost efforts to protect civilians, ease tensions, restart negotiations, and strive for peace.