Resistance is not terrorism: Ma Xinmin, centre, of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, February 22. [Picture: The National]
A message long clear for anyone willing to understand: resistance is not terrorism. This was also the message from China’s representative at the World Court on Thursday.
In pursuit of liberation, China told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Palestine did have the right to employ the “use of force to resist foreign oppression”. This counters the mainstream interpretation of Palestinian resistance as terrorism.
“Their practices serve as convincing evidence for the legitimacy of struggling by all available means, including armed struggle, by peoples under colonial domination or foreign occupation,” said Ma Xinmin, a Chinese Foreign Ministry legal adviser.
SMread: Israel’s occupation scrutinised in court
Self defence
The judges of the UN’s top court are hearing presentations from several countries regarding the legal consequences of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory. China’s came a day after those of the United States (US) and Russia.
The US, so-called leader of the free-world, on Wednesday asked the court not to order the unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces from Occupied Palestine without security guarantees.
“The court should not find that Israel is legally obligated to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from occupied territory,” said acting legal adviser for the US State Department, Richard Visek. “Any movement towards Israel’s withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza requires consideration of Israel’s very real security needs.
This fits into the broader ‘self defence’ narrative argued by the defenders of genocide. But Visek’s Chinese counterpart disagreed.
“Justice has been long delayed but it must not be denied,” said Xinmin. He continued: “Fifty-seven years have passed since Israel began its occupation of the OPT (Occupied Palestinian Territories). The unlawful nature of the occupation and sovereignty over the occupied territories remain unchanged,” he said.
The hearings are set to continue until Monday. In the meantime, the deadly War of Extermination in Gaza has claimed nearly 30 000 lives – even after the same court ordered Israel to ensure it avoided acts of genocide in the enclave.
