World - AFP
US abstains as Security Council votes to criticise Israel
Date: Wed, May 19, 2004
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN Security Council adopted a resolution criticising Israel for killings and house demolitions in Gaza, passed 14-0-1 after the United States abstained instead of vetoing the measure.
The resolution condemned the killing of Palestinian civilians in the southern Gaza Strip (news - web sites) refugee camp of Rafah, and called on Israel to act in accordance with international humanitarian law and not demolish Palestinian houses.
At least 10 Palestinians, mostly youngsters, were killed Wednesday after Israeli troops fired on hundreds of demonstrators protesting against the army's biggest operation in Gaza yet.
"(Israel) cannot continue to flout its authority and norms of international law with impunity," said Ambassador Abdallah Baali of Algeria, the lone Arab nation on the 15-member council, who put forward the resolution.
"After today's butchery, Israel would be well counseled to heed the voice of reason," he told the council after the vote.
The United States has frequently used its veto power on the council to block resolutions that criticise its close ally, but Washington has been critical of the recent Israeli crackdown in the Gaza Strip.
"While we believe that Israel has the right to act to defend itself and its citizens, we do not see that its operations in Gaza in the last few days serve the purposes of peace and security," US deputy ambassador James Cunningham said.
But he said the United States could not back the resolution because it did not take sufficient account of the "context" of the military operation, which Israel says is aimed at stopping anti-Israeli attacks.
"It is clear that the Palestinian Authority (news - web sites) has not taken serious action to address this threat, or to put an end to terrorist acts as it is obligated to do," Cunningham said.
Algeria introduced the resolution Tuesday, setting off 24 hours of negotiations as Washington pushed to soften the criticism and include language pressing both the Palestinians and Israelis to adhere to the "road map" peace plan.
Baali met with Cunningham and Palestinian representative Nasser al-Kidwa earlier Wednesday to work out a consensus.
Wednesday's deaths have added to the international outrage over Israel's large-scale army operation in Rafah, where UN officials say more than 1,000 Palestinians have been left homeless since the house demolitions began.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (news - web sites), who was on hand for the vote, said earlier that the Israeli army actions were "very worrying" and that he had received a call asking for help from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat (news - web sites).
"We believe every action should be taken to protect the civilians. That's why I appeal to the Israeli government to halt this action and exercise much more restraint," Annan said.
Israel has defended "Operation Rainbow," the biggest incursion in Gaza Strip since the start of the intifada almost four years ago, as part of a campaign to crack down on "terrorists" and arms smuggling from across the border in Egypt.
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