In the early morning of May 17, local time, Israel launched another fierce air strike, and the Gaza Strip resounded from north to south with explosions, which the US media called "the deadliest one". Since the Palestinian-Israeli exchange of fire on the 10th, 58 children have been killed in Palestine, and the 10-year-old girl collapsed and asked: "What have we done?" Why did you end up here? ”
While obstructing the Security Council's voice, the United States has also talked to Palestinian and Israeli leaders on the issue of conflict, and its attitude is contradictory. State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi presided over an emergency open meeting of the UN Security Council on the 16th, saying that whether the UN and the Security Council can make a difference is watched by the people of the world and history is also recorded.
Israel launched the "deadliest" air strikes
A 10-year-old Gaza girl collapsed and questioned
According to the latest news from the Associated Press, in the early morning of the 17th, Israeli warplanes launched a series of fierce air strikes on a number of targets in the Gaza Strip.
According to the report, compared with the 16th, the air raid was more extensive and more intense, and the explosion sounded from the north to the south in the Gaza Strip, which lasted for up to 10 minutes. The report said it was "the deadliest one."
Image source: Overseas Network
On the evening of May 16, local time, according to the news released by the health department of the Gaza Strip, since the continuous exchange of fire between Palestine and Israel on the 10th, 192 Palestinians have been killed in the Palestinian Gaza Strip, including 58 children and 33 women.
According to the British "Independent" report, in the early morning of the 15th, under the Israeli air strikes, a house in the Shati refugee camp in Gaza City, Palestine, was destroyed, causing at least 10 deaths, including 8 children. The only one who survived was a five-month-old baby named Omar.
At that time, there were 11 Palestinians in the house, who were reuniting to celebrate Eid al-Fitr.
The ruins of the Shati refugee camp were reportedly littered with children's toys and uneaten food from the party. When rescuers dug up the five-month-old Omar from under the rubble of a three-story building, it was found that he was still holding the chest of his dead mother.
Nurses tending to 5-month-old Omar Image source: Foreign media
Fortunately, the child's father did not escape with his family at the time of the incident, but his wife and 3 other children were killed. He said sadly: "The Israeli military bombed the house without any warning!" ”
Father of the child Source: Foreign media
Looking at her home devastated but powerless, Taif, a 10-year-old Gaza girl, broke down crying in front of the camera and asked, "What did we do?" Why did we end up here? Why are you (the Israeli army) treated like this? Why throw missiles at children to kill them? It's not fair! ”
Jason Lee, director of the Palestinian area of save the children, an international charity, said on the 17th that since the conflict, an average of 3 Palestinian children have been injured every hour.
The United States has a contradictory attitude
The abacus behind it
The UNITED Nations Security Council was originally scheduled to hold a public meeting on the Palestinian-Israeli issue on the 14th, but it had to be postponed due to obstruction by the US side, and the meeting was held on the 16th local time as planned. Some media quoted sources as saying that the United States has always opposed the holding of this meeting.
On the 15th, US President Biden had a telephone conversation with the Palestinian and Israeli leaders to discuss the ongoing conflict. Why is the attitude of the United States so contradictory?
On May 14, protests were held near Kelamai in Jordan in solidarity with the Palestinian population.
Su Xiaohui, deputy director of the Institute of International and Strategic Studies of the China Academy of International Studies, analyzed that at present, in the multilateral arena, especially on an important platform like the United Nations Security Council, the United States' bias toward Israel is very obvious and does not disregard fairness and justice.
At the same time, it can be seen from the phone call between US President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the United States is also expressing its intentions in regional strategic design and Middle East policy promotion, hoping that the regional ally of the United States, Israel, can cooperate with the GOALS of the United States as much as possible.
Now for the Biden administration, strategic contraction is an overall process, especially in the Middle East to reduce investment, make allies more responsible, and focus more on great power competition. At the same time, the United States does not want the regional situation to get out of control, otherwise it means that the United States will have to invest more costs and will be under more pressure on multilateralism.
Therefore, although Biden claims that the United States wants to return to multilateralism, on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the United States is not willing to invest more, nor is it willing to persuade and promote peace talks between Palestine and Israel, and what the United States has to do now is to marginalize the Palestinian-Israeli issue as much as possible.
Wang Yi presided over the emergency meeting of the Security Council
Publish China's position
On 16 May 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi presided over an emergency open meeting of the UN Security Council on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Wang Yi said that the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine has caused a large number of casualties, including women and children, and the situation is very critical and severe, and it is urgent to stop the fire and stop the violence. The international community must act urgently to prevent the situation from deteriorating further, to prevent the region from falling into further instability and to safeguard the lives and safety of the local people.
Wang Yi chaired the meeting by video and delivered a speech Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs website
Wang Yi pointed out that the Palestinian issue has always been the core of the Middle East issue. The Middle East is unstable, and the world is unstable. Only a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine can truly achieve lasting peace and universal security in the Middle East region. In view of the current tensions, China advocates:
First, a ceasefire and a ceasefire is a top priority. China strongly condemns acts of violence against civilians and once again urges both parties to the conflict to immediately cease military and hostile actions and to take actions that worsen the situation, including air strikes, ground attacks and rocket launches. In particular, Israel needs to exercise restraint.
Secondly, humanitarian assistance is urgently needed. We urge Israel to earnestly comply with its international treaty obligations, to lift the blockade and siege of Gaza as soon as possible, to guarantee the security and rights of civilians in the occupied Palestinian territories and to facilitate access for humanitarian assistance. The international community wants to provide humanitarian assistance to Palestine, and the United Nations must play a coordinating role in making every effort to avert a serious humanitarian catastrophe.
Thirdly, international support is an obligation. The Security Council must take vigorous action on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, reaffirm its firm support for the "two-State solution" and promote the situation to cool down as soon as possible. The Council has so far been unable to speak unanimously because of one State's obstruction. We call on the United States to shoulder its due responsibilities, take a just stand and support the Security Council in playing its due role in de-escalating the situation, rebuilding confidence and achieving a political settlement. We also support the United Nations, the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and other countries with important regional influence to play a more active role in forging broader and more effective efforts to promote peace.
Fourth, the "two-state solution" is the fundamental way out. In the final analysis, the Palestinian-Israeli issue should seek a long-term solution on the basis of the "two-state solution." Justice is late, but it cannot be absent forever. China supports palestine and Israel in resuming peace talks as soon as possible on the basis of the "two-State solution" and establishing at an early date a Palestinian State with full sovereignty and independence based on the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital, so as to fundamentally realize the peaceful coexistence of Palestine and Israel, the harmonious coexistence of the arab and Jewish peoples and the lasting peace in the Middle East.
Wang Yi stressed: China is a sincere friend of the Palestinian people. Under the current circumstances, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward China's "four-point proposal" on resolving the Palestinian issue in 2017, which is of great practical significance. Since China assumed the presidency of the Security Council, it has made it a top priority to deal with the current tension in the Middle East and has promoted the Security Council's consideration of the Palestinian issue on many occasions. We will continue to intensify our efforts to persuade peace and promote talks and to fulfill our responsibilities as President of the Council. We reiterate our invitation to Palestinian-Israeli peace figures to come to China for dialogue, and we also welcome the direct talks held in China by the negotiators of Palestine and Israel.
In conclusion, Wang Yi said that whether the United Nations and the Security Council can make a difference is watched by the people of the world and recorded by history. We should and must stand united on the side of peace and justice, on the side of a just conscience, on the side of historical correctness, practice genuine multilateralism, and promote an early comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine.
Source Beijing Daily (ID: Beijing_Daily) Integrated CCTV News Client, Overseas Network, Xinhua Net, Global Network
Producer: Tension
EDIT: Initial intention
Intern Editor: Qian Xuanpan
Process Editor Wu Yue