Palestinian-Israeli resolution sought

An envoy to the United Nations said Monday that China is concerned about the Palestinian-Israeli relations and urged the international community to play a constructive role in promoting an answer to the Palestinian question.

"For some time now, the Palestinian-Israeli relations have continued to be tense. The unilateral actions by Israel keep escalating, pushing the situation to the brink of spinning out of control," said Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations.

"We note with concern that the violence in the West Bank has been intensifying. Search-and-arrest operations, settler violence, and incidence of clashes and attacks have continued to cause serious civilian casualties, including children," the envoy told a Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East.

"The solemnity and sanctity of Jerusalem's holy sites have been repeatedly violated, and the historic status quo has been frequently challenged. Provocative acts and inflammatory words of all kinds have continued to intensify conflict and confrontation," said Zhang.

Zhang said Israel continues to advance its settlement activities. And earlier this month, it announced its decision to legalize nine outposts and its plan to build 10,000 settlement units in the West Bank, causing widespread condemnation and concern. 

"These negative developments run counter to the international law, UN Security Council resolutions, the repeated calls by all parties to de-escalate the situation, and the efforts by the international community to preserve the two-state solution," he said.

At this critical moment, said Zhang, emergency diplomatic mediation efforts were conducted. According to media reports, Israel promised Sunday that it would suspend unilateral actions that would undoubtedly undermine the prospect of the two-state solution, said Zhang.

"It must be pointed out that the vitality of a diplomatic promise depends on its implementation," he emphasized. "Now it's definitely not the time to breathe a sigh of relief. The international community, including the countries with major influences, should keep their attention, increase the level of commitment, and play in earnest a constructive role to ensure that Israel does implement its promise on the ground."

Zhang urged that after the promised suspension, "Israel should not conduct another round of unilateral activities. Instead, it should completely change its cause, and truly return to the right track of the two-state solution."

The Security Council on Monday adopted a presidential statement calling for the de-escalation of tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. The statement also conveys strong distress and worry regarding Israel's announcement on Feb 12 of building more settlements, the expansion of settlements and the "legalization" of settlement outposts.

The presidential statement adopted on Monday by the council is "an important step in managing the current crisis", Zhang said.