The United Nations Security Council late Monday began an emergency meeting to discuss Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi.
The Palestinians blamed the United States for emboldening Israel to assassinate Rantisi by vetoing a Security Council resolution condemning last month's "extrajudicial execution" of Hamas' founder.
But Israel countered that it has been forced to take "defensive actions," including killing Rantisi, because the Palestinians refuse to meet their international obligation to arrest terrorists and get rid of terrorist groups like Hamas.
The exchange took place at the start of the meeting, sought by the Arab League to address escalating Israeli military attacks and Rantisi's murder in an Israeli missile strike on Saturday. More than 40 countries spoke, and virtually all but the U.S. condemned Israel - including close U.S. ally Britain.
Algeria's UN Ambassador Abdallah Baali, the only Arab member on the council, introduced a draft resolution at the end of the meeting that demands an end to Israel's "extrajudicial executions," a halt to "all acts of violence including all acts of terrorism," and adherence to international humanitarian law.
"In the Palestinian territory, in the Arab nation and in the Muslim world, emotions are high and distress and frustration are deep," Baali warned. "If no action is taken, and Israel gets away again with these horrendous crimes, the situation might very rapidly deteriorate and go ultimately out of control."
The U.S. used its veto power on March 25 to quash a resolution condemning Israel for killing Sheik Ahmed Yassin, the Hamas founder and spiritual leader. U.S. diplomats said the measure failed to mention the militant group's record of bombings and shooting attacks during 3 1/2 years of Israeli-Palestinian violence.
The draft resolution circulated Monday also makes no mention of Hamas, and U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham said it would likely face another U.S. veto. Council experts were expected to discuss the text on Tuesday.
Nasser Al-Kidwa, the Palestinian UN observer, said Security Council action to promote peace and prevent further bloodshed is long overdue.
He blamed the council for allowing Israel "to continue acting beyond the parameters of international law, permitting it to use the most oppressive measures and practices to impose more death and destruction and loss on the Palestinian people under its occupation."
"It is without a doubt that the recent failure of the Security Council to condemn the extrajudicial execution of Sheikh Yassin and to take urgent measures to address the deterioration of the situation, due to the veto cast by one of the council's permanent members, has further emboldened the Israeli government to continue carrying out such illegal actions with impunity," Al-Kidwa said.
But Israel's UN Ambassador Dan Gillerman said the focus of the council should be the "acts of terror" perpetrated by Hamas which has called for the destruction of Israel, "not the acts of self-defense necessary to prevent them."
"Were the current Palestinian leadership a genuine partner in peace, defensive actions such as the one Israel was recently compelled to undertake would not have been necessary," he said. "If there is something 'extrajudicial' here it is the total refusal of the Palestinian leadership - for years - to act against terrorism."
Al-Kidwa accused Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of departing from the so-called road map peace plan endorsed by the U.S., the UN, the European Union and Russia with his unilateral plan to withdraw from Gaza and parts of the West Bank.
But Gillerman insisted that Sharon's plan can "rekindle the peace process" and facilitate the road map's goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace.
Cunningham said the focus now should be on advancing the road map, through Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, "and actions by either party that move us away from this goal are not helpful."
He said Israel has the right to defend itself from terrorist attacks, demanded that Palestinian leaders "act decisively against terror," and urged all parties "to exercise maximum restraint."
Hamas Calls for Arab - Muslim Alliance
Meanwhile, Hamas political leader Khaled Mashal on Monday called for an Arab and Muslim alliance to defeat the United States and Israel.
"Our battle is with two sides: One of them is the strongest power in the world, the United States, and the second is the strongest power in the region [Israel]," he told hundreds of people at the al-Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus.
"That is the caliber of the battle. We will not be victorious unless the other side of the battle is Arab and Muslim."
Mashal, who survived an Israeli assassination attempt in 1997 in Jordan, said Hamas would avenge the killing of the group's spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin on March 22 and Gaza leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi on Saturday.
Mashal has suggested that Bush's unprecedented support for Israel encouraged Sharon to kill Rantisi. "What Bush told Sharon in the White House three days ago is the clearest green light and cover for Sharon's crimes and for what has happened to Dr. Abdel Aziz Rantisi," Mashal said. "Thus, it [the United States] is the one responsible for this crime."
www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/416695.htmlE-mail this article