Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen has said Jewish people are no longer homeless in the world, asking when Palestinians will return home.
He raised the question in a statement following his meeting with Palestinian Ambassador to Bangladesh Yousef Ramadan on Monday when they exchanged in-depth views on the question of Palestine, the embassy said.
Ambassador Yao on the the latest round of conflict between Israel and Palestine said China believed it was a top priority to make all efforts to stop the fighting as soon as possible, prevent it from spreading endlessly and avoid further escalation of the situation.
In the meantime, it is imperative to observe international humanitarian law, make every effort to ensure the safety of civilians, open up a humanitarian rescue and assistance passage as quickly as possible, and prevent a severe humanitarian disaster, reads a Chinese embassy statement.
“China calls on relevant countries to stay calm and exercise restraint, to take an objective and just position, to work for de-escalation of the conflict and to avoid causing an even bigger blow to regional and international security.
"The UN should play its due role in resolving the question of Palestine. The UN Security Council needs to shoulder important responsibilities for this, build international consensus as quickly as possible and take real measures to that end.
“China condemns all violence and attacks against civilians and opposes all acts in violation of international law. The protection of civilians in armed conflict is a red line under international humanitarian law.
"The indiscriminate use of force is unacceptable, and neither Palestinian nor Israeli civilians should be targeted. The safety of UN staff and humanitarian workers must be guaranteed."
The embassy said China was communicating with the relevant parties.
The special envoy of the Chinese government on the Middle East issue will soon visit relevant countries in the region and make active efforts to facilitate a cessation of violence and de-escalate the situation.
In the meantime, the embassy said, China called for a more authoritative, influential and broad-based international peace conference to be held under the auspices of the UN to build international consensus for peace and work for a comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine at an early date.
Ambassador Yao pointed out that the question of Palestine was at the heart of the Middle East issue and a wound that kept being torn open in today’s world.
"The root cause of this question lies in the long delay in realizing the dream of an independent State of Palestine and the failure to redress the historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people. Israel has the right to statehood, [and] so does Palestine.
"The Israelis have obtained the safeguards for survival, but who will care about the survival of the Palestinians? The Jewish nation is no longer homeless in the world, but when will the Palestinian nation return to its home?
"There is no shortage of injustices in the world, but the injustice to Palestine has dragged on for over half a century. The sufferings that plagued generations must not continue. The answer to the question is the two-state solution and an independent State of Palestine.”
"This is how Palestine and Israel could coexist in peace and how the Arabs and Jews could live in harmony,” Yao added.
"Only when the two-state solution is fully implemented can the Middle East truly enjoy peace and Israel enjoy lasting security.”
He said the right way to advance the two-state solution was to resume peace talks as soon as possible. All mechanisms for peace must play a positive role, Yao added.
"Ambassador Yao stressed that on the question of Palestine, China will continue to stand on the side of peace, on the side of justice, on the side of international law, on the side of shared aspirations of the majority of countries in the world and on the side of human conscience," reads the statement.
Earlier on Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart that China supported the "just cause of the Palestinian people in safeguarding their national rights,” as Beijing takes an increasingly clear stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Israeli forces have staged thousands of air raids in the Gaza Strip in recent days, claiming more than 2,300 lives in the densely populated territory after Hamas broke through the heavily fortified border with Israel and launched a resistance campaign on October 7.