On November 16, the leading Icelandic newspaper Morgunblaðið carried an article by Ambassador He Rulong entitled "Joint Hands in Dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli Crisis as Part of the Efforts in Building a Community of Shared Future for Mankind".
The full text is as follows:
The ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict troubles people’s heart, with a death toll surpassing 10,500, of which 4,300 and more were children. At the same time, more than half of the 2.3 million people in the Gaza Strip have been left without homes, making it one of the worst humanitarian disasters in two decades. “We are on the verge of the abyss in the Middle East,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned in a statement.
Iceland had played a key role at the United Nations General Assembly in 1948 when the partition of Palestine and Israel was decided, becoming the first western country to recognize the independence and sovereignty of Palestine with the approval of the Althingi in 2011. China was one of the first countries to support the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and to recognize the statehood of Palestine. The PLO set up a diplomatic office in Beijing in 1965, while China established full diplomatic relations with Palestine in 1989. It can be said that both the Chinese and Icelanders bear moral responsibilities towards the Palestinian people.
The strings of armed conflicts in the Gaza Strip have tortured the conscience of each of us. China strongly condemns and opposes all acts that harm civilians and violate international law, and calls for an immediate ceasefire to ensure the most basic existential conditions for Gazans. In the mean time, Special Envoy of the Chinese Government on Middle East Issue had kicked off with a mediation tour of the region, calling on the international community to take immediate action for an early resumption of peace talks between Palestine and Israel. We strongly believe that the only way out for the Palestinian question is to implement the two-state solution, with a view to ensuring the Palestinian’s rights to subsistence, statehood and right to return.
The human society has largely been able to maintain peace since he end of World War II more than 70 years ago. However, threats to peace continue to amass. The Eurasian continent had yet to put an end to the war before the Middle East is witnessing another war. The law of the jungle is not a way for human coexistence. The zero-sum game in which one wins by causing others to lose is doomed to fail. If the law of the jungle is simply imposed on human society and the notion that might makes right prevails, the principle of sovereign equality will be fundamentally undermined, and world peace and stability will be in severe danger.
Humanity is at yet another crossroads in history. In the face of global crises and challenges, China’s offer is the grand concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, which was proposed by President Xi Jinping. Last September, the Chinese government issued a white paper on China’s Proposals and Actions of Global Community with Shared Future for Mankind. Instead of replacing one system or civilization by another, we advocate that countries with different systems, ideologies, histories and cultures, as well as different levels of development coexist in harmony in the international community. To build a global community of shared future for mankind, all peoples, all countries, and all individuals, our future being interconnected, must stand together in adversities and through thick and thin, navigating towards greater harmony on this planet that we call home. We should endeavor to build an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity, with a goal of turning people’s aspiration for a better life into reality.
In his keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi Jinping said that the pioneers of the ancient silk roads won their place in history not as conquerors with warships, guns, horses or swords. Rather, they are remembered as friendly envoys leading camel caravans and sailing ships loaded with goods. The Belt and Road international cooperation is not only a reflection of China’s successful practice of implementing global development initiatives and building a community with a shared future for mankind, but also serves as an important platform for the international community to enhance integration through cooperation.
“There is no greater virtue than extending a helping hand to those in need.” By sharing this Arabian proverb with our Icelandic friends, I would like to call for solidarity with each and everyone of you in support of peace and justice for the peoples of Palestine and Israel.