[PRAY FOR THEM] “At least China…”

At a time when every country is putting the Palestinian struggle on the back burner, China is doing the right thing to reboot talks to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Mr. Gen Shuang, China’s second permanent representative to the United Nations, has urged all members of the United Nations to work with the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to bring about sustained and well-coordinated efforts to bring peace in the Middle East.

What has China proposed?

China has not minced its words and has called on the Security Council to hold an international peace conference with a clear mandate and greater authority to put an end to the worst colonial problem of our century. A problem which has started before the beginning of the 20th century.

In 2014, the peace-making process between Israel and Jordan had been frozen. In 1994, Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty. Can there be peace between Israel and Jordan without finding a just solution to the Palestinian conflict? Two days ago, Israel’s Yair Lapid and the King of Jordania met at the behest of the President of the United States but nothing positive came out for the Palestinians. Sources close to the King of Jordania say that Amman has been pushing Israel to include Palestine in all major US-sponsored regional economic projects.

Will Israel accept to give:

  1. Palestine freshwater for hospitals or will it give only freshwater to Jordania?
  2. Desalinated water to Jordania and also to Palestinians?

We must not forget that the majority of the Jordanian population is Palestinian. 60% of the Jordanian population is Palestinian. There are no less than six basic categories of Palestinians living in the Kingdom. And more than two million registered Palestinian refugees live in Jordan.

But China is not joking! Mr. Geng Shuang urged the Security Council to take a “more active and vigorous actions on the Palestinian issue”. Mr. Shuang went further by stating “that all the stakeholders in the Middle East process are invited to participate in exploring effective ways and means to POLITICALLY resolve the Palestinian Issue”.

China said: “Legitimate rights of the Palestinian people have been continuously violated and their predicament has been further exacerbated.”

What I salute with the stand of China is when its representative said forcefully: “Reversing the situation on the ground brooks no delay.”

China also urged Israel to abide by international law and to implement Security Council Resolution 2334 and to stop all settlement activities.

Do you know that more than 300 settlements have been built so far, reserved exclusively for Jews (another example of a blatant Apartheid policy) and more than 700,000 have moved in ?

It is apposite to say here that Resolution 2334 is a resolution which was adopted on 23rd December 2016 at its 7853rd meeting. More important, the obligation under the Quartet Roadmap (see Resolution 1515 (2003)) for a freeze by Israel of all settlement activity, including “natural growth” and the dismantlement of all settlement outposts erected since March 2001.

But you know that Israel does not give a damn…

RAMA VALAYDEN

NOTE : Les points de vue exprimés dans cette rubrique ne reflètent pas nécessairement ceux de la rédaction et n’engagent que les auteurs eux-mêmes.