Lebanon deal should prompt all parties to pursue immediate ceasefire in Gaza: China Daily editorial

One day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the Israeli Security Cabinet had approved a two-month deal to end the fighting in Lebanon, a ceasefire came into effect on Wednesday, marking a significant step forward for efforts to end the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and fueling hopes that a deal can be reached to end the conflict in Gaza.

According to reports, although Hezbollah is not an official signatory given its designation as a terrorist organization by the United States, the group has agreed to move its fighters north of the Litani River — approximately 40 kilometers from the de facto Israel–Lebanon border. Israeli forces meanwhile are to gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon. A five-country monitoring panel, led by the United States, is to oversee the implementation of the agreement, with 5,000 Lebanese troops deployed to ensure compliance.

China, which has been closely following the situation in Lebanon, has welcomed the deal and has called on all parties to do their utmost to honor it.

Urging the relevant parties to abide by UN Security Council Resolution 1701 that calls for a full cessation of all attacks on Israel by Hezbollah and Israeli military operations in Lebanon, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning also called for greater efforts to be made to promote an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, as China believes that the failure to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza is the root cause of the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East.

This is a pertinent prompt as the latest development has also renewed international hopes for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where millions of Palestinians have been trapped in an appalling humanitarian crisis for more than a year.

Now that Tel Aviv has eliminated almost all the top echelons of both Hezbollah and Hamas, it is high time relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions to end the war in Gaza were fully implemented as soon as possible.

In his remarks to a UN meeting held on Tuesday to commemorate the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out that the question of Palestine is at the heart of the Middle East issue and concerns international fairness and justice.

The top priority now should be to promote the full and effective implementation of UN Security Council resolutions by parties to the conflict, and the realization of an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, so as to create conditions for alleviating the humanitarian crisis.

Indeed, the conflict in Gaza must be brought to an end. To date, the Palestinian death toll in Gaza has reportedly surpassed 44,000, with millions more displaced and living in hellish conditions.

The conflict in Gaza has not only spilled over to Lebanon but also to other parts of the region, involving more regional forces. Influential parties should shoulder their due responsibilities and do more to realize a ceasefire in Gaza.

The United States, in particular, should end its unconditional support of Israel, which has emboldened and enabled Tel Aviv to launch one military offensive after another against any it deems to be an enemy.

In light of this, China has urged the US to discard its political calculations and stop selectively ignoring international and humanitarian law. With the US having stubbornly stood on the opposite side of international calls for a ceasefire and the conscience of humanity, China hopes that the deal for a ceasefire in Lebanon will prompt it to shoulder its responsibilities as a major country, and play a constructive role in restoring peace and stability in the Middle East by working to promote an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The vicious circle of violence must end, and the people of Gaza, Palestine and the broader Middle East deserve a concerted international effort to establish lasting peace.