Vietnam concerned over tension in Gaza after US embassy moved to Jerusalem

By Khanh Lynh   May 17, 2018 | 05:47 am PT
Vietnam concerned over tension in Gaza after US embassy moved to Jerusalem
Palestinians hold posters bearing text in Arabic calling for the end of the killing of Palestinians during protests on the Gaza-Israel border during a demonstration next to the UNESCO headquarters in Gaza City on May 16, 2018. Photo by AFP/Mohhamed Abed
Vietnam said it supports an independent State of Palestine to peacefully coexist with the State of Israel.

Vietnam is concerned about the ongoing tension and violence at the Gaza Strip and the country is on the side of peace and Palestinians, spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang of Vietnam’s foreign ministry said Thursday.

“Vietnam has always followed the situation and is really concerned about the tension and escalating violence at the Gaza Strip that has killed and injured many Palestinian people,” Hang said.

She continued by mentioning a list of conflicts that have taken place along the Gaza border, including the killing of 60 Palestinians by Israeli forces on May 14 after the U.S. opened an embassy in Jerusalem.

With 2,400 others injured, that day was the bloodiest day of Israel – Palestine conflict since the 2014 Gaza War.

Vietnam is calling all related parties to end the violence, handle the conflict via peaceful means and seek a comprehensive, fair, sustainable solution to protect people's lives, the legitimate interests of each party, as well as peace and stability in the region.

Any solution regarding the status of Jerusalem must be in accordance with international laws, especially the United Nations resolutions, and must have the consensus of all related parties.

Regarding the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, Hang said the consistent stance of Vietnam is to support the fight for justice of Palestinian people.

“Vietnam supports the ‘two-state solution,’ in which an independent State of Palestine peacefully coexists with the State of Israel based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital,” she said.

On Monday, Vietnam dismissed claims that it participated in a gala hosted by Israel to celebrate the opening of a new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz earlier on Monday reported that Vietnam was among the 32 countries that participated in the gala on Sunday. However, over 50 countries, including most members of the European Union, boycotted the event.

Vietnam was among the 128 countries that backed a non-binding U.N. General Assembly resolution, calling for the United States to drop its recognition of Jerusalem.

Palestinians seek East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state in the two-state solution, which would be established in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Israel, however, regards all of the city, including the eastern sector it captured in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed, as its “eternal and indivisible capital” in a move that has not won international recognition.

 
 
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