U.S. plans to veto proposed UN resolution on Beit Hanun deaths

The U.S. is threatening to veto a proposal for a United Nations Security Council resolution regarding the deaths of 19 Palestinian citizens in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun on Wednesday.

The Palestinian citizens were accidentally killed in an Israel Defense Forces shelling meant to destroy Qassam rocket launchers in the area.

The draft was written and distributed among Security Council members on Wednesday by Qatar, a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

The proposal calls for an "immediate investigation into the massacre that took place in Beit Hanun" and calls on Israel to "cease all violence against the civilian population in the occupied territories, including East Jerusalem."

The Qatari draft also demands the deployment of UN observers in the area to oversee the implementation of the cease-fire outlined in the draft.

Sources in New York report that senior American officials have denounced the draft in its present formulation. The Qatari draft makes no mention of the Qassam rockets fired by Palestinians into Israel, nor does it mention IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, who was abducted by Palestinian militants in June.

Deputy head of the Israeli delegation to the UN Danny Carmon said in response "the Palestinian citizens were killed, in all likelihood, by Israeli fire, but in fact, they fell victim to the terrorism of Hamas."

The official discussion over the draft began Thursday evening, but it is not yet clear when the vote will take place. Sources estimate the vote will be postponed until Friday, if not next week.

Arab foreign ministers to hold emergency meeting on IDF Gaza offensive

Arab foreign ministers will gather for an emergency meeting to discuss a common response to the recent IDF offensive in the Gaza Strip, the Arab League secretary-general said Thursday.

Secretary General Amr Moussa said he called for the meeting on Sunday in Cairo at the request of Palestinian and Lebanese officials to "look into practical steps and measures to deal with the Israeli ongoing and recurrent aggression on the Palestinian people, latest of which is the Beit Hanun massacre."

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