China strengthens support for Palestine

President Xi Jinping has offered China's support for the Palestinian people to restore the legitimate rights of their nation, saying that Beijing will continue to make positive contributions to an early settlement of the Palestinian question in order to promote lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.

Xi made the remarks in a congratulatory message delivered to the meeting held by the United Nations on Monday to observe the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Xi said in his message that the Palestinian question is the crux of the Middle East issue.

The settlement of the Palestinian question in a comprehensive, just and enduring manner, peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel, and common development of the Arab and Jewish nations conforms to the common interests of Palestine and Israel and meets the long-term goal of stability in the region and the shared aspirations of all countries and peoples loving peace and upholding justice, Xi said.

Noting that the settlement of the Palestinian question must adhere to the right principles and direction, Xi called on the international community to uphold objectivity and justice, advocate tolerance and mutual understanding, and take the 30th anniversary of the Madrid Peace Conference as an opportunity to provide more support for the resumption of equal dialogue between Palestine and Israel on the basis of the "two-state solution".

The international community should continue to help the Palestinian people respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and effectively improve the economy, people's well-being and the humanitarian situation in Palestine, Xi added.

Saying that China attaches great importance to the Palestinian question, Xi stressed that it will always uphold fairness and justice, actively facilitate peace talks, and continue to provide humanitarian, development, anti-pandemic and other assistance to the Palestinian people, as well as support for relevant UN efforts.

Pursuing peace

China is a sincere friend of the Palestinian people, Xi said, and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible major country, it will continue to work with the international community to make positive contributions to achieving an early settlement of the Palestinian question and achieving lasting peace and stability in the Middle East.

At the United Nations Headquarters in New York, the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People holds a special meeting on Nov 29 each year to observe the International Day of Solidarity, which traditionally provides an opportunity for the international community to focus its attention on the fact that the Palestinian question remains unresolved.

Nov 29 was chosen because of its meaning and significance to the Palestinian people. On that day in 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181(II), which provided for the establishment in Palestine of a "Jewish state" and an "Arab state", with Jerusalem under a special international regime. Of the two states to be created under this resolution, only one, Israel, has so far come into being.