Chinese envoy puts forward four "musts" at UN security council meeting on the Palestine-Israel issue
Global Times
By Global Times Published: Aug 11, 2025 09:10 AM
Chinese Ambassador to the UN Fu Cong put forward four "musts" at the emergency meeting held by the UN Security Council on the Palestine-Israel issue on Sunday local time after the Israeli security cabinet's approval of a plan to take over Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip.
Fu said Israel's attempt to occupy Gaza must be firmly opposed; the fallacy of believing in the primacy of force must be abandoned; the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza must be alleviated; and the prospect of the two-state solution must be revived.
Fu said that the Gaza conflict has dragged on for 22 months, causing the deaths of more than 61,000 people in Gaza and an unprecedented humanitarian disaster. The international community has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza, but the situation continues to develop in an even more dangerous direction. "Faced with the current urgent situation, the international community, including the UN Security Council, must take all necessary actions before an even greater catastrophe occurs," Fu emphasized.
According to the Xinhua News Agency, Israel announced on Friday that its cabinet adopted the five principles for "concluding the war", including the disarming of Hamas; the return of all the hostages, both the living and the deceased; the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip; Israeli security control in the Gaza Strip; and the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.
Fu said that China expresses grave concern over the Israel's security cabinet approval of a plan to take over Gaza City and urges Israel to immediately stop such dangerous actions. "Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people and is an inseparable part of Palestinian territory. Any attempt to alter the population or territorial structure of Gaza must be resolutely rejected," Fu said.
Fu said that the Israeli government should heed the calls of the international community and its own people to immediately cease actions that escalate tensions, and stop military operations in Gaza. "Countries with significant influence over the parties concerned should adopt a fair and responsible approach and take concrete action to promote a ceasefire," Fu pointed out.
Fu said that the weaponization of humanitarian supplies is unacceptable; the collective punishment of the people of Gaza is unacceptable; and attacks on civilians and humanitarian workers seeking supplies are unacceptable. He urged Israel to open all crossing points and lift restrictions on the entry of goods to ensure large-scale, rapid and safe access of humanitarian supplies into Gaza, and to support the UN in providing aid in a manner consistent with humanitarian principles.
Fu stressed that the two-state solution is the only viable way to resolve the Palestinian issue and achieve peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel. "The international community should intensify efforts to advance the political process for the two-state solution and work together to oppose any unilateral actions that undermine its foundation," Fu said.
At the meeting, Israel's military expansion plan was criticized by multiple countries. According to BBC, envoys from the UK and France warned the plan risked "violating international humanitarian law." Along with Denmark, Greece and Slovenia, they called for the plan to be reversed, adding it would "do nothing to secure the return of hostages and risks further endangering their lives".
But the US defended Israel, with Ambassador Dorothy Shea telling the meeting the US had been working "tirelessly" to free hostages and end the war, and the meeting undermined those efforts, per BBC.
Later on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had spoken with US President Donald Trump about Israel's plans, BBC reported.
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