Anadolu staff
26 October 2023•Update: 26 October 2023
ANKARA
A draft UN Security Council resolution on the Israel-Palestine conflict proposed by the US would have completely "dashed" the two-state solution if it had passed, which is why Beijing opposed it, said China’s envoy to the UN.
Speaking at the council on Wednesday, Ambassador Zhang Jun said the proposal departed “from the spirit of previous UN resolutions and embeds the dangerous logic of clash of civilizations and the justification of war and use of force.”
"If adopted, it will completely dash the prospect of the two-state solution and plunge the Palestinian and Israeli peoples into a vicious cycle of hatred and confrontation," he added, according to an official transcript of his remarks.
He added that the US side ignored fellow council members including China, Russia, the UAE, and Brazil, proposed amendments to the text, and made cosmetic changes to the draft before presenting it.
On Wednesday, two draft resolutions separately proposed by the US and Russia on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict failed to pass the UN Security Council.
The council first voted on the US draft resolution, which urged humanitarian pauses in Gaza, condemned the Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in Israel, and called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages” held by Hamas.
The resolution got 10 votes in favor, with Russia, China and the United Arab Emirates voting against it. Permanent council members Russia and China both have veto power over any resolution, regardless of how the other members vote.
The UAE is a temporary member of the council.
Nearly three weeks into the current conflict, which started on Oct. 7, some 7,028 Palestinians have been killed, including 2,913 children, 1,709 women, and 397 elderly people, along with 1,400 Israelis, according to official figures.
*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid
