BEIJING: China on Tuesday called for resolution of the issue of occupied territories in the West Bank as soon as possible in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions, saying, the final border between Palestine and Israel should be drawn through peaceful negotiation.

The issue of occupied territories in the West Bank should be resolved as soon as possible in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions, and the final border between Palestine and Israel should be drawn through peaceful negotiations,Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson said during his regular briefing while responding to a report that Israel would announce acquisition of part of the occupied land in the West Bank on July 01.

He said the Chinese side calls on all parties concerned to stick to the strategic choice of peace talks, cherish the results of the existing dialogue, and refrain from taking actions that will intensify the conflict between Palestine and Israel.

Zhao Lijian pointed out that China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made a statement a few days ago at the United Nations Security Council video conference on Palestine issues, once again clarifying China’s position on related issues.

As State Councilor Wang Yi said, taking unilateral actions will only further deepen contradictions and damage mutual trust. The issue of settlements is one of the core issues related to the final status negotiations on the question of Palestine, and the Security Council has long had certainty that settlement construction violates international law, he added.

According to media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that as soon as Wednesday (July 01), Israel may move to annex up to 30% of the West Bank, home to sites sacred to the major monotheistic religions and the heartland of what many Palestinians and much of the rest of the world have long hoped will someday be a Palestinian state.

In the more than half a century since seizing the territory in the 1967 Middle East War, Israel has maintained a military occupation and built an archipelago of Jewish settlements, some hilltop hamlets, others the size of cities.

It may be mentioned that many countries, more than a thousand European parliamentarians and the UN Secretary-General strongly opposed the Israeli plan.