China and Pakistan Call for « Immediate » Ceasefire in Gaza
AA/ Beijing/ Emre Aytekin, Muhammet Torunlu
China and Pakistan have called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli attack since October 7th. This call was made in a joint statement released by the two countries following the official visit of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China between June 4th and 8th.
The statement emphasizes that the UN Security Council’s decision for a ceasefire in Gaza is binding and must be implemented immediately. It also highlights that the main solution to the crisis is the « two-state solution » and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
Furthermore, the statement urges the international community to « make more efforts to reach an urgent solution to the Palestinian issue. » It also stresses the need to continue peace talks between Israel and Palestine in order to achieve lasting peace.
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have been stalled since 2014, following Tel Aviv’s refusal to halt the construction of settlements in the West Bank, its rejection of the « two-state solution » principle, and its refusal to release a group of former Palestinian prisoners.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since October 7th, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire. Over 36,800 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and more than 83,600 others have been injured, according to local authorities.
Eight months into the Israeli war, vast areas of Gaza lie in ruins amidst a crippling blockade, preventing the entry of food, clean water, and medications. Israel has been accused of genocide by the International Court of Justice, with the latest ruling ordering Tel Aviv to immediately suspend its operations in the city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge to escape the war before its invasion on May 6th.