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China says US 'shielding' Israel at UN is preventing Gaza ceasefire
China's ambassador to UN said if US had not protected Israel, multiple Security Council resolutions would not have been defied
China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Geng Shuang, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting at UN headquarters in New York City, on 28 August 2024 (David 'Dee' Delgado/Reuters)
17 September 2024 21:13 BST
During a UN Security Council (UNSC) briefing on Monday about the war on Gaza, ambassador Geng Shuang of China accused the US of using the UN to block ceasefire efforts, as the conflict gets closer to the one-year mark.
Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, questioned the Security Council’s effectiveness, asking, “Why has it been unable to stop this human tragedy, the worst of its kind to this day?” according to a report by the Anadolu Agency.
Shuang went a step further and accused the US of repeatedly protecting Israel at the UN, leading to the rejection of multiple ceasefire resolutions.
“Had the US not shielded one side time and again, multiple resolutions of this council would not have been flagrantly rejected and defied,” Shuang stated.
The Chinese ambassador highlighted the tragic impact of the war, which began on 7 October 2023. He described the situation as “alarming” and “past belief", with local health authorities in Gaza reporting over 41,200 Palestinian civilian deaths.
The Security Council had initially adopted a resolution in early June endorsing a three-phase ceasefire deal proposed by the US. At the time, the US claimed Israel had accepted the proposal. But Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, told China Daily by late June that there had been “no concrete signs from Israel indicating a commitment to a lasting ceasefire”.
Escalation
Israel has continued its large-scale military operations, attacking multiple refugee camps in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jenin and Tulkarm, in recent weeks.Israel's devastating war on Gaza has overshadowed the escalating violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. Settlers are increasingly operating under military protection, sometimes even seen dressed in military uniforms, and receive active support from far-right Israeli cabinet members like Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich.
These attacks have caused significant casualties and endangered humanitarian organisations like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
“Over the past year, despite strong joint international calls for a ceasefire and the cessation of killings, Israel has not halted its military operations,” the Chinese ambassador told the UN council.
He urged the US to “show a responsible attitude”, cease its passivity, and use its’ strategic influence to pressure Israel into ending its military operations immediately, as demanded by council resolutions months ago.
“China supports further actions on the part of this council to put out the flames of war, mitigate the humanitarian disaster, and bring peace to the region as soon as possible,” he added.
The Israeli blockade and relentless military assault have driven nearly the entire population of Gaza from their homes and triggered catastrophic shortages of food, water, and medical supplies. To recover, Gaza will need an unprecedented overhaul of its entire infrastructure and a decisive political resolution.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be in Egypt this week to meet with Egyptian officials to "discuss ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of all hostages, alleviates the suffering of the Palestinian people, and helps establish broader regional security”.
On Monday State Department spokesperson Mathew Millers told the press the US was still working with Egypt and Qatar to present a revised proposal "that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement", but did not announce a date for when the proposal would be made public.
