Beijing, January 29, 2023

Regarding the recent escalation of tensions

 between Palestine and Israel, the spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that the urgent priority is to do everything possible to calm the situation and call on all parties involved, and Israel in particular, to show calm and restraint to prevent the situation from escalating and getting out of control.

The speaker made these statements in response to an inquiry from the media. According to media reports, tensions have recently escalated between Palestine and Israel with the escalation of violence and conflicts. On January 26, Israeli forces clashed with Palestinians during a raid in the West Bank city of Jenin, killing more than 10 Palestinians. On January 27, a terrorist attack on a religious site in East Jerusalem resulted in civilian casualties.

"We are deeply saddened by the civilian casualties caused by the conflicts between Palestine and Israel," the spokesman said, noting that China is closely following the recent escalation of tensions.

"We condemn all terrorist attacks targeting civilians and oppose the excessive use of force,"the spokesman added.

The speaker said that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is recurring mainly because the two-state solution has not been implemented and the Palestinian people, for a long time, have been deprived of their legitimate aspirations to establish an independent state.

"The international community needs to act with a stronger sense of urgency and create conditions for the resumption of talks between Palestine and Israel," the spokesman said, adding that China will continue to work hard for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue.

arabic.news.cn (Xinhua)