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Settlement stalls talks

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-12-02 07:59

China has called on Israel to immediately stop all settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territories in order to revive the peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

On Tuesday, Premier Wen Jiabao urged Israel and Palestine to stay on the path of peace and make constructive efforts to advance their stalled peace talks. Wen made the appeal when offering congratulations to the Conference in Commemoration of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, held on Monday at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

On the same day, Wang Min, the Chinese deputy permanent representative to the UN, pressed Israel to immediately stop all settlement activities in all occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and to stop construction of the separation barrier.

The message from the high-profile Chinese officials is that China is concerned with the stagnation in the Middle East peace process and that it is willing to work with the relevant parties to create conditions for an early resumption of direct talks between the Palestinians and Israelis.

China will continue to work with members of the international community to seek solutions and promote peace, stability and development in the Middle East.

China sincerely hopes that, on the basis of related UN resolutions and the "land-for-peace" principle, an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty will be established in peaceful coexistence with Israel.

This desirable result can only be achieved through Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, which have now reached a pivotal stage. It is hoped both sides will stay on track and take positive and constructive efforts to promote the negotiation process.

International mediation is also necessary to keep the positive momentum going. The international community should maintain pressure on both sides so that negotiations can be resumed at an early date.

For such a long-standing conflict the only solution is dialogue and negotiation. Drastic moves and reckless remarks will only worsen the situation and deepen mutual enmity.

Regrettably, due to the Israeli settlement activity, the direct Palestinian-Israeli talks were brought to a complete standstill less than a month after they were brokered by the United States in early September.

The passing of the national referendum law by the Israeli parliament on Nov 22 has made the prospects for a possible renewal of the freeze on settlement construction increasingly bleak. The new law requires any Israeli government to attain the consent of the Israeli public before signing a peace agreement that cedes territory in occupied East Jerusalem or the Golan Heights, or any sovereign territory.

The Jewish settlements, along with Palestinian refugees, Israel's embargo on Gaza and the status of East Jerusalem are thorny issues standing in the way of peace talks. To demonstrate it is sincere about the peace process, Israel should stop all settlement activities in the occupied territories.