During a statement made this Thursday (22) at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, China indicated that Palestinians have the “right” to resort to armed struggle against Israel.
The Chinese representative at the Court, Ma Xinmin, said that what he classified as “armed resistance” is an “inalienable right of colonized peoples” and does not “contradict international law”.
Ma Xinmin pointed out that the “acts of violence committed by Palestinians are not terrorism, but a legitimate armed struggle.” He cited examples of “various peoples who freed themselves from colonial rule” using violence and weapons.
Ma also “differentiated”, on the occasion, armed struggle from acts of terrorism, saying that all parties must respect “international humanitarian law and refrain from committing acts of terrorism”.
China's position was one of the most forceful among the more than 50 countries that spoke at the hearing, which is expected to last until February 26th. The ICJ is holding hearings this week to analyze, at the request of the UN General Assembly, “the legal consequences arising from Israel's policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem”, with a view to issuing a requested non-binding legal opinion in 2022, before the current war in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday (21), China also condemned the United States' veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying it pushed the conflict into an “even more dangerous” situation.
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