China defends Palestinian rights at ICJ
The right to attain self-determination by means of armed struggle
It was a remarkable moment, signaling the arrival of the People’s Republic of China to a position of leadership in international affairs, made all the more dramatic by its dignified presentation in occasionally faltering English, as the justices and the audience at the International Court of Justice listened in absorbed attention.
China declares that (1) the UN Charter and UN resolutions have legitimate authority in the international community of states and peoples; (2) the International Court of Justice has the jurisdiction to render an interpretation of international law on the Palestinian question, inasmuch as it is a question of debates in and resolutions by the United Nations; (3) Israel, in its occupation of the territory of Palestine since 1967, has vio…