A Chinese envoy on Monday criticized the United States for hindering the United Nations Security Council to act more effectively on the Palestine-Israel issue, calling on the U.S. to take concrete actions to ensure Israel complies with Security Council resolutions.
The Security Council met on Monday on the Middle East situation, including the Palestinian question, and was briefed by Sigrid Kaag, Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza pursuant to Security Council Resolution 2720 (2023), and Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director, United Nations Office for Project Services.
Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said during the meeting that, despite the adoption of four resolutions by the Security Council, provisional measures from the International Court of Justice, and significant efforts by humanitarian agencies like the UN, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to worsen, with ongoing violations of international law, particularly international humanitarian law.
"China once again calls on Israel to prioritize human life and fulfill its obligations under international humanitarian law. Israel must immediately lift the blockade, open all border crossings, remove restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid, cease attacks on the UN and other humanitarian agencies, and offer safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian efforts," he noted.
He noted that nearly a year has passed since the outbreak of the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, highlighting that despite repeated calls from the international community for a ceasefire and an end to the violence, Israel's military operations have persisted, resulting in the deaths of over 41,000 Palestinian civilians, a toll that is both shocking and unacceptable.
"If not for the repeated obstruction by the United States, the Security Council could have passed a ceasefire resolution at the very beginning of the conflict. And without U.S. protection, multiple resolutions would not have been so blatantly ignored. We urge the United States to take responsibility, leverage its influence on the parties involved, and take concrete actions to push Israel to comply with the Security Council's resolutions, stop its military operations, and offer the Palestinian people some hope amid their suffering," Geng said.
Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and about 250 taken hostage.
The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip has risen to 41,226, Gaza-based health authorities said in a statement on Monday.
Chinese envoy urges U.S. to push Israel to comply with UNSC resolutions
