President,

Gaza, brutalized by two years of war, is a land of ruins in dire need of rebuilding. Over two million people continue to live in deprivation and struggle in displacement. China supports the Security Council in taking all necessary actions to achieve a lasting ceasefire, relieve the humanitarian disaster, and launch post-war reconstruction to rekindle the hope of peace and development for the people in Gaza. Regrettably, the draft resolution that was just voted on is lacking in many respects and is deeply worrisome. 

First, the draft resolution is vague and unclear on many critical elements. The penholder requests the Council to authorize the establishment of a Board of Peace and international stabilization force, which will play a key role in the post-war governance in Gaza. It should have explained in details their structure, composition, terms of reference, and criteria of participation, among others. This should have been an essential basis for the Council's serious discussions. However, the draft resolution contains skimpy details on these critical elements. Despite repeated requests from Council members for more information, no response has been made from the penholder. 

Second, the draft resolution does not demonstrate the fundamental principle of Palestinians governing Palestine. Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people, not to anyone else. Any post-war arrangements must respect the will of the Palestinian people and give full play to the vital role of the Palestinian National Authority. The draft resolution outlines post-war governance arrangements for Gaza, but it seems that Palestine is barely visible in it, and the Palestinian sovereignty and ownership are not fully reflected. Of particular concern is that the draft resolution fails to explicitly reiterate a firm commitment to the two-State solution as an international consensus. 

Third, the draft resolution does not ensure the effective participation of the UN and its Security Council. The draft resolution requests the Council to authorize the BOP to assume full responsibility for the civil and secure arrangements in Gaza, but it stipulates no oversight or review mechanism beyond the annual written reports. The UN has ample experience and capacities in post-conflict recovery and economic reconstruction, and should therefore play a vital role in Gaza's post-war governance. However, no such arrangement is made in the draft resolution. 

Fourth, the draft resolution is not a product of full consultations among Council members. Less than two weeks after introducing the draft resolution, the penholder rushed the Council into making a critical decision on the future and destiny of Gaza. Council members responsibly engaged in the consultations, raising a lot of constructive questions and suggestions, but most of them were not taken on board. While there remained major concerns and serious differences among members, the penholder forced the Council to take actions on the draft resolution. We are deeply disappointed with such an approach, which is disrespectful to Council members and hurts the Council's solidarity.

President, 

Notwithstanding the above-mentioned many issues in the draft resolution and China's major concerns about it, considering the fragile and severe situation in Gaza, the imperative of maintaining the ceasefire, and the positions of the regional countries and Palestine, China abstained in the vote. It must also be noted that our concerns and worries remain. The Security Council must maintain close attention to the situation in Gaza and the Palestinian question. The Palestinian question lies at the heart of the Middle East issues. It is a matter about international equity and justice. The international community must steadfastly advance the two-State solution and pursue the political settlement of the Palestinian question. It means establishing an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, therefore realizing the Palestinian people's right to statehood, survival. and return. China has always firmly supported the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights. We stand ready to work with the international community to make unremitting efforts for a comprehensive, just, and lasting solution to the Palestinian question. 

Thank you, President.