Palestinians' use of force to resist foreign oppression 'well founded' in international law: China

Addressing the International Court of Justice (ICJ) today, China said the Palestinians’ use of armed struggle to gain independence from foreign and colonial rule was “legitimate” and “well founded” in international law.

“In pursuit of the right to self-determination, Palestinian people’s use of force to resist foreign oppression and complete the establishment of an independent state is [an] inalienable right well founded in international law,” China’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, told the ICJ in The Hague.

Citing resolutions by the UN General Assembly, Beijing’s envoy to the world court said people struggling for self-determination could use “all available means, including armed struggle.”

“The struggle waged by peoples for their liberation, right to self-determination, including armed struggle against colonialism, occupation, aggression, domination against foreign forces should not be considered terror acts,” he added, citing international conventions.

However, he stressed that genuine acts of terrorism are another matter.

Israel’s practices and policies of “oppression have severely undermined and impeded the exercise and full realisation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination,” Zhang Jun continued.

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