Tensions between Israel and militant groups in the Gaza Strip continued to escalate on Sunday for the seventh day in a row, and the international community needs to act with urgency to prevent the situation from further deteriorating.
▲ A Palestinian man jumps at the site of Israeli strikes in Gaza City May 17, 2021. Photo/Agencies
Each year, the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis flares up around the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. But this year's confrontation is particularly violent.Israeli air strikes have already caused huge Palestinian civilian casualties, including many women and children, and there have been Israeli fatalities from rockets launched from Gaza. At least 197 Palestinians have been killed, including 58 children, and more than 1,200 wounded since Israel began its air strikes against Hamas on May 10. In Israel, 10 people, including one child, have been killed and 294 wounded in rocket attacks launched by armed groups in Gaza.On Saturday, Israeli jets bombed and demolished Jala Tower, a high-rise building in Gaza City which houses offices of international media outlets including Al-Jazeera TV and Associated Press for alleged connection to the Hamas intelligence agency, resulting in claims that it was trying to silence the media.On the surface, the latest round of the conflict was triggered by Israeli plans to evict Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem. But this is just the latest eruption of violence in the decades-long enmity between the two sides, which needs both a short-term remedy and long-term solution.As Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi pointed out on Saturday, the root cause of the deterioration of the situation in the Middle East is that for a long time there has not been a just solution to the Palestinian issue. The Middle East peace process has deviated from its original track and the UN Security Council resolutions have not been earnestly implemented.Worse, the Palestinians' right to build an independent state has been continuously violated, adding to the plight of the Palestinian people, which has, in turn, led to the intensification of the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation and frequent hostilities.To prevent more humanitarian disasters from happening, there is a pressing need for a ceasefire between the belligerent parties.China has pushed the UNSC to hold two emergency consultations on the Palestine-Israel conflict this month and drafted a statement in a bid to guide the UNSC to take actions. But regrettably, the United States has stood on the opposite side of international justice, obstructing any agreement.China will continue to do its best to promote a two-state solution and peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel. To this end, Wang Yi reiterated on Saturday China's invitation for Palestine and Israel to hold direct talks in China.On its part, the US should behave like a responsible power and view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a more impartial and objective lens other than always showing favoritism to Israel. As an important player in both the conflict and the region, the world's sole superpower should do more to end the hostilities.Click here for audio and translation of the story
