BEIJING - China called on the United Nations Security Council on Nov 30 to formulate a “concrete” timetable and road map for a two-state solution to achieve a “comprehensive, just and lasting” settlement of the Palestinian issue.

The proposal was laid out in a position paper on the Gaza conflict released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and as China took over the rotating presidency of the Security Council for November.

The 15-member council needs to intensify its diplomatic mediation, relaunch the two-state solution and convene a “more authoritative and effective” international peace conference as soon as possible, the paper said.

It urged the 15-member council to heed the general call of the international community for a “comprehensive ceasefire” to stop the fighting.

Since the start of hostilities in October, Beijing has refrained from condemning Hamas, and instead said it opposed acts that harm civilians and sought for de-escalation and a two-state solution.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who chaired a high-level Security Council meeting on the Gaza conflict on Nov 29 in New York, called for a lasting truce in the embattled territory and warned against the conflict spilling over to the entire Middle East region.

“Peace cannot be limited and the ceasefire cannot have an expiration date,” China’s official Xinhua news agency cited Mr Wang as saying.

“Once the window of opportunity is open, it should not be closed, and once the fire has been extinguished, it cannot be rekindled,” he said while meeting the press.

Mr Wang also said China will provide a new batch of emergency humanitarian supplies to Gaza.

International calls for Israel and Hamas to further extend a truce in Gaza have intensified after Israel – triggered by Hamas’ deadly rampage on Oct 7 – bombarded the enclave.

Israel says Hamas gunmen killed 1,200 people and took 240 hostages, while health authorities in Gaza say Israel’s attack has so far killed more than 15,000 people in the enclave.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Nov 30 also reiterated Beijing’s support for the Palestinians’ quest for statehood.

“The crux of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict lies in the delay in the realisation of the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state,” Xinhua cited Mr Xi as saying in a congratulatory message to a conference commemorating the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, a UN-led observance.

“The bitter lessons of the cycle of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict fully demonstrate that only by upholding the concept of common security can sustainable security be achieved,” Mr Xi said.

He called on the Security Council to shoulder its responsibilities and make efforts to promote an end to the fighting, protect the safety of civilians and stop the humanitarian catastrophe. REUTERS