China, Arab nations condemn US over veto against Palestinian state

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - China and Arab states on Friday condemned the US for the use of veto against granting full statehood to Palestine.

Washington had voted against granting full UN member status to Palestine last month at the UN Security Council.

Out of 15 Security Council members, 12 had voted in favor, while two members abstained.

In a joint statement at the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing, the two sides called on the council to adopt binding resolutions to achieve an immediate, comprehensive, and lasting cease-fire in Gaza.

The two sides condemned ongoing Israeli assault on Palestinian people in Gaza, as well as the invasion of the Rafah city and the bombing of refugee camps.

The airstrike on a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians in Rafah killed at least 45 civilians, mostly women and children, and injured around 300 others last Sunday. It has drawn global condemnation.

Backing the International Court of Justice (ICJ) measures against Israel in Gaza, the joint statement demanded that the council implement its relevant resolutions, and return life in Gaza to normal.

Emphasizing that the two-state solution was the way out, the joint statement reiterated a call for an international conference on Palestine which could lead toward the resolution of the conflict.

“Peace, security, and stability in the region cannot be achieved without ending the occupation of the territory of the State of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital, the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, and the occupied Lebanese territories,” the statement added.

Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, killing more than 36,200 people and injuring 81,400 others.

Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the ICJ, which in its latest ruling has ordered it to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

The joint statement came after Beijing hosted the 10th ministerial meeting since Thursday which Chinese leader Xi Jinping, as well as four Arab leaders, attended.

Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Tunisian President Kais Saied, and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also addressed the forum.

The forum serves as a formal dialogue initiative between China and the Arab League to discuss the primary multilateral coordination mechanism between the world's second-largest economy and the Arab states.